Lovers & Liars
by low vs diamond
Summary: When a person dies, a capacious space is left inside of whom it effected. With lovers and liars, Two-Bit learns how to accept the past and move onto the future.
1. Try To See In The Dark

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _The Outsiders _by S.E Hinton, nor do I own the song "Close To Me" by The Cure.

**A/N:** Just a quick update. I have been posting my story in the year '65 by accident, when Dally and Johnny died in '66. I have edited the year to '67.

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**Sunday, April 1st, 1967**

Anna and Two-Bit were taking up all of the room in a booth at the Dingo. They were popping fries in there mouths one by one, and rattling the ice in the pop as they took long sips.

"How's `bout we prank Darry?" Two-Bit suggested and took another sip of his Coke. Anna was astounded that he didn't replace the Coke with beer, or get the two of them kicked out yet. Anna thought about the gang, well, what was left of the gang. She sure was upset that Johnny and Dally were gone. They had been gone a few months, but it was still hard to wrap her head around the fact that they were gone forever. She thought about Ponyboy, her good friend that she had met in Science class. Sodapop, his older brother, was only a few months older than her. He had turned seventeen a few weeks after the passing of their good friends, and now Anna was turning seventeen in three weeks as of today. Steve was Soda's best buddy. Steve and Anna had never got along well. Anna didn't like how short tempered and opinionated Steve could get at times. Darry was just simply getting old before his age, just like her sister Katie. There really wasn't a negative thought she had about him. She pretty much thought of him as her own father, because her real father had run out on her family when she was five. And she sure as hell wouldn't think of her step-father, Dan, as anything other then a drunk fool.

When Anna didn't answer, Two-Bit piped up again, "I've got it! We can prank ol' Tim!"

Anna almost choked on her Coke. "Are you serious? No! He almost killed me when I thought it would be funny to misplace his cigarettes with Popeye candy sticks." she complained, remembering April Fools when she was fourteen. She knew that whenever Tim saw her, he remembered that incident. When he had come to her house to talk to Katie, he had been in an arrogant mood. Normally when a greaser needed to calm down, a smoke would always lessen the tension. And when he had opened his cigarette pack...well, Anna tried not to think of how angry he was after that.

Two-Bit was laughing, "Man, you oughta thank yer lucky stars you have tits. If ya didn't he woulda beat your head in," he said rather loudly. People looked over, astonished at his grammar.

She threw a golden brown fry at Two-Bit's face, and grinned as he opened his mouth for the fry to fly right in.

"Touchdown!" he shouted loudly, punching the air with his fist.

The manager and one of the waitresses came over. The waitress had a guilty look on her face, and her cheeks had turned beat red. The manager was staring at Two-Bit.

"I think it's time for you to leave," he suggested through gritted teeth.

By the look on Two-Bit's face, Anna decided to keep quiet. She knew that face anywhere. He was about to make a stupid remark that would either make the manager laugh, or just make him even angrier.

"I was jus' practicin' for my football. Coach says I'm the star quarterback," he shrugged innocently.

That comment had sent the manager's face to turn tomato red, obviously from anger.

"Get outta my restuarent, hood. Or I'll call the cops."

Anna hurried Two-Bit out of the Dingo before he started something. They started for the bus stop.

"I have an idea!" Anna shouted cheerfully, walking backwards to face him. "We can put a fish in Steve's room," she chuckled at the thought.

"That could work," he thought for a minute, "That's real bad ass, Anna, but -"

"You have a point," she admitted sheepishly.

The bus turned around the corner, and Anna began to in her pocket for money. When she pulled out only two cents, she glanced at Two-Bit and smiled sweetly. "Can I borrow some money?"

Two-Bit gave her his money, "I'll sneak on. It'll be easy."

As predicted, the plan worked. He held up a crumpled receipt and claimed it was a transfer; and the gullabel bus driver believed it. They walked to the very back of the bus, and sat down. Anna looked out the window, but couldn't concentrate with Two-Bit tapping his fingers on the seat infront of him. She assumed that he got fed up with not talking, because he opened his mouth to speak.

"Sodapop. He would be easy, and it'd be a good laugh."

He was talking about the prank they still had to come up with. "That wouldn't be very nice," she said. "He's going through a rough time with what just happened with Sandy, Johnny and Dal."

Two-Bit sighed heavily and looked forward. "They died a long time ago," he said threw clenched teeth. "Everybody's over it, even him."

Anna saw the look of anger in Two-Bit's eyes. She didn't know if he knew or not, but his eyes gave his true feelings away. It was silent for the rest of the ride home - and it was a long ride home. Anna wondered if her parents were home. Her mom, Caroline, and her step-father, Dan, had been together for a little over a year. They never even had an official wedding. The couple eloped and got married in Las Vegas, coming back months later. Katie, Anna's nineteen year old sister, had taken care of her for that short period of time. She still took good care of Anna even though Caroline and Dan were very much alive and breathing.

The bus pulled up directly infront of Anna's house - an advantage that she had - and they both got off silently. Anna desperately wondered what Two-Bit was thinking. Ponyboy had been one of her best friends for a while, and he was an open-book to her. She could understand him inside out. But Two-Bit and Pony just weren't alike, not by a longshot. Two-Bit was one of a kind.

Anna then began wondering if Two-Bit only stuck around because he had taken a sudden interest to her older sister.

"Katie ain't home," Anna informed him, taking off her sweater and letting it drop on the arm of the chair.

"Where's she?" he questioned, letting out a huff as he sat down.

"She's out with some greaser she met the other week," she said without missing a beat.

When he didn't answer, she over at him. He had just pulled a cigarette out of his leather jacket and lit it. She wanted to tell him not to smoke in her house, but she was used to it because Katie's friends smoked all the time. Katie wasn't much of a smoker.

He had an unreadable expression on his face. She thought about all of the blondes he had introduced to her. They had all obviously shown major interest in him, but he didn't treat girls very well. Not that he was abusive, but he just didn't commit when it came to relationships. He would always flirt with other blondes that he met; the occasional brunette. She inexplicably wondered if he would play the same game with Katie.

"That reminds me, I met some real good lookin' blonde tha other night. Boy howdy, I ain't never seen a girl that easy," he joked.

"Where did ya meet her?" Anna asked, just to be saying something.

She really hated being in on his bull sessions about girls. She silently thanked the Lord that at least he wasn't sharing his _other_ stories. They literally made her want to crawl under a rug. Anna markedly thought about herself for a quick second. Two-Bit changed the girl on his mind every other second. Anna knew if she had a boyfriend, that he would be the only guy on her mind. Or even if she was interested in a guy - she would still think about him, and only him.

"The Ribbon. That's a damn rough hangout," he observed. "I tell ya. She had a nice body." he laughed at how red she got. Two-Bit enjoyed embarrassing her with his girl talk, and she knew it.

"I thought you were interested in my sister?" Anna said tiredly.

Two-Bit didn't answer. He simply shrugged, and walked to her fridge. She could hear him rummaging through it for a beer.

"Throw me a grape juice, willya?" she called to him.

As she began to stand up, a grape juice box came flying out of nowhere. Two-Bit's eyes glittered and wide grin plastered on his face, as he watched the juice splatter all over the carpet. Anna gasped and shot up. She stared down at big purple stain on the new carpet. Her step-father would be pissed - and her mother would just agree with him. Her mother never took up for her. Not for shit.

"Well," Two-Bit said cheerfully, breaking the silence. "I have a stash of Bud in yer house for times like these."

He lifted a piece of the circle carpet, and rolled it away. Anna watched in interest and fury as he lifted the piece of wood. He suddenly tossed her an ice cold beer, that she luckily caught this time.

She still horrified at the purple stain on the carpet, and didn't answer. _He has a fucking stash of beer in my house?_, she thought dryly. She held the ice cold beer in her shaky hands, while she thought of how angry her step-father would be. Anna glared at Two-Bit, who just have her an even bigger smile. Anna slumped down on the coach and tilted her head back. She shut her eyes and pushed the grape juice incident behind her. Two-Bit wouldn't apologize anyways.

Faintly, she could hear the chit-chatter and female giggles outside of her door. Anna settled her temper down, and glanced at the door as her sister and her Anna's best friend walked in. Katie was one of the prettiest girls she has ever seen. Anna is constantly self-conscious every time she looks at her blood related sister. She hated that her mother was strikingly beautiful, and her sister took after that.

She figured that Evie had hitched a ride with Katie, she usually did.

Katie looked at Two-Bit and smiled shyly. Anna knew for a fact that Katie had returned the interest in him. But she knew that Katie changed the boy she had a 'thing' for every other day. She thought it would be a good idea to set them up, but she was just to unsure about it to say anything. Her sister dating her best guy friend would just be plain weird.

Evie, Anna's best friend, sat on the coach next to Anna. Evie's exotic alluring eyes met hers.

"What did you and Two-Bit do?" she asked sceptically.

"S'that supposed to mean?" she asked accusingly, crossing her arms and resting them on her knees.

"Well," Evie drawled, "Since y'all became better friends, y'all have been insperable and yer pranks are dreadful. Remember last April Fools?" she cocked an eyebrow, fuming at the memory.

Anna grinned, and remembered when they had set up Evie with an eleven year old. Evie had never let Anna or Two-Bit off the hook for pulling a stunt like that. Anna thought that what Evie was saying was partially true, but she hated to agree on something when she was proven wrong. "Whatever."

Evie had already forgotten about it. "You shoulda seen Katie's date today. He was a real mess. Katie ditched him. Said she was goin' to the bathroom," Evie cracked up.

Anna laughed, and looked at Katie and Two-Bit. They were hitting it off perfectly fine.

"Alright," Katie announced, grabbing her purse from the door handle. "I gotta get goin'. I've got a job interview. I'll see y'all later."

Anna didn't think that it was fair that Katie was only nineteen and working her ass off. She already had one job, why get two? Anna thought of Darry, Pony's gaurdian and older brother. He worked mighty hard too. With juggling two jobs, and two teenage brothers, he hardly had any time for a social life. She remembered when he had been voted Boy of the Year at Will Rogers a good two years back. Anna thought facetiously that Darry and Katie made more sense then Two-Bit and Katie. Their personalities fit together like puzzle pieces.

Once Katie left the house, Two-Bit winked at Anna. "We're goin' out on a date," he grinned.

"Way to go, champ." Evie smirked, obviously uninterested in Two-Bit's love life with her best friends sister.

"I gotta get goin' though," he said, getting up.

"Where too?" Anna asked soundlessly.

Two-Bit gave her an bizarre look, "Pro'lly gonna hunt up a poker game."

Anna sat there and nodded in a solemn manner. She looked over at Evie, who shoved the money in her pocket that had fallen out. "I've gotta head out too. Steve's waitin' for me."

Anna didn't like being alone. It scared her to be alone, mostly emotionally. Anna had no idea why it frightened her to be alone, but she just felt uneasy and uncomfortable. "Is the house near Ponyboy's?" she questioned Two-Bit. She heard the gentle sound of the front door click, and Evie was gone.

"Why?" he winked. "Are ya in'erested in him? `Cause ya know, I can set y'all up."

Anna glowered at him, "No."

She couldn't help the roll of her eyes. She couldn't help but smile at the stupid expression on Two-Bit's face.

"Remember," she said as they walked out of her house. Anna set down the beer, and let it noisily roll over. She leaned on the doorframe and tangled her fingers together, oddly nervous. "We've still gotta come up with a kick ass prank."

Two-Bit took a smoke out of his back pocket, and cupped his hand around it to prevent the benign wind from blowing the fire out. He let the smoke droop loosely between his lips as he spoke. "Actually, prankin' Stevie would be a good idea."

Anna thought about it. "It's still early," she told him, "Meet me at DX when Steve's shift would be almost over. At four, `cause his shift's over at 5."

Two-Bit reluctantly smiled, "If I don't get to boozed up I'll try."

Before Anna knew it, she was standing out front of Ponyboy's house. She rattled open the gate, and winced as it screamed open. "I'll see you later tonight," she said softly.

He nodded, and nonchalantly waved his hand. She looked back at him for a second, but his back was turned and all she could see was his leather jacket. She slammed the gate shut, and came up the three steps of Ponyboy's house. She entered the house and looked around for the gang. He was the only one home. Pony simply gave her a small grin, and continued writing something. She sat in the chair beside him, and silently watched him do his homework.

XXXXX

Two-Bit had plans to hunt up a local poker game, or even cause a brawl. His typical Sunday usually consisted of that sort of stuff. He walked slowly, and kicked a broken glass bottle that had obviously been used for self-defence. Hence it was only the end, and the sharp edges were painted with blots of dry blood.

As he looked up to see where he was heading, he grinned and jutted his chin to the River Kings. The leader, Ricky Forsyth, was the first to notice him. As he spotted Two-Bit, he departed from his gang and shook his hand. "So man, who was that fine broad you was walkin' with?"

Two-Bit was confused for a split second, before realising Ricky was asking about Anna. "My friend," he replied, shrugging and getting a manly slap on the back from Ricky. The boys all stopped talking and clued in on their conversation.

"Ain't she Katie Mercer's kid sister?" Ricky's right hand man, Matt Harris, asked. Two-Bit studied him and then remembered that Matt used to date Katie. They had broken up because Matt had cheated on her multiple times. He had felt a little bad that she found out infront of everybody. She had been pretty broken up about it; but he really didn't know what to think of it or how to comfort her. Katie didn't cry, she just slapped Matt and got over it quickly. So he stayed out of it.

Two-Bit nodded, cocking his eyebrow. "What's it to you?" he asked, getting a little defensive. Anna Mercer was a really good kid, and he didn't want her to get involved with greasy hoods like Ricky or Matt. Nonetheless _any_ greasy hood.

Ricky just gave him a look that made Two-Bit want to slug him. Any other girl, that wasn't Anna, and Two-Bit would even try to set them up. But Ricky just wasn't a good guy, and he never was. He was decent to the girls in the first few days of there 'relationship' - if you could even call it that - then things went downhill from there. It made no sense that _he_ was always the dumper.

"We still down for the poker game?" he changed the subject.

"Na," Matt answered, "We're gonna go down to Soc territory and cause some shit for April Fools. You up for that?"

Two-Bit grinned ear-to-ear, "You know it."

They walked to down to the Soc side of town. Two-Bit looked around and went wide-eyed at the huge houses. He looked over at a bunch of junior high kids who didn't looked scared to get jumped. On the greaser side of town, the kids _knew_ to be careful. They knew the score. Compared to the greasers' souped up cars, Socs had some pretty decent cars that Two-Bit would kill for. Though he adored his Plymouth, the tuff Mustangs and Corvettes were making him insanely jealous. The girls were real good lookin' too, he had to admit. They were all dressed fancy and had there skirts and dresses a decent length.

He began to walk a bit faster and brushed past Ricky and Matt. He heard Matt jingle his car keys, and began to draw and scratch all over a tuff looking Corvair. Two-Bit winced at the screeching sound, but laughed after. He laughed a bitter, hard, grim laugh.

Two-Bit took out his switchblade and messed around with it. He twirled and spun the blade then at a sudden breath, the blade flicked out. He turned it in the sunlight, and caught a glimpse of the crazed look in his eye. He walked over to the same car Matt had just been messing around with.

Not thinking straight, but only thinking of his buddies, he took the knife and stabbed it into the tire. _Damn them for everything_, he thought, _everything is their fault._ He thought about the time he had went to the movies with Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally when Tim had been looking for Dally. Dally had been infamous for slashing tires.

Two-Bit stabbed into the tire and made four seperate slashes in the two tires. He made four in the front right tire, and four in the back right tire. Before he could go any further, they all stopped.

"Shit!" Ricky cursed, and punched a nearby tree. The gang, including Two-Bit, all looked up to see a cop car heading down the street. Two-Bit casually pushed his blade back into his pocket and hoped to hell they didn't see him. The one rule to his outfit was: don't get caught. He cursed himself for hanging out with Matt and Ricky in the first place. Sure he did some pretty stupid things, but he was really pissed at himself for getting caught. Especially by the fuzz.

"Mathews, Harris, Forsyth," the cop nodded to the three boys, recognizing them. The cops assistant waved the rest of the gang out, and it was only the three boys who stood there. They were all slouched, and had there thumbs hitched in the pockets of their pants. "We got a call of complaint," he explained, writing something on his notepad. "Anyone wanna fess up to what happened?"

"We were just havin' a little illegal fun, officer," Two-Bit explained, trying his best to sneak his way out of going to jail for the night. He knew that he would have to go to jail for at least one night, then his old lady would have to pick him up and sign some paperwork before he could leave.

"Right," he muttered, "Who all was responsible?"

They all looked at eachother, but figured telling the truth was the least they could do. They had already been spotted, so they just shrugged. "Me," Matt said, rolling his eyes as the assistant put him in the back of the police car.

"I ain't did nothin' officer," Ricky held his hands up innocently.

Two-Bit rolled his eyes and walked to the car with his hands behind his back. He sat next to Matt, and watched Ricky fool the cops like it was his own mother. When Ricky was dismissed, he nodded to them and walked out of the Soc side. Two-Bit thought about Johnny and Dally again. Would they have been more careful? Would they have gotten away with it? Hell, would they have even done it in the first place? He knew for sure that Dally would, but he wasn't sure Johnny would have. Two-Bit rolled his eyes. He had probably just been tested by someone, or something. Tested to be sure that he was responsible enough. Of course he hadn't passed the 'test'. He wasn't responsible. Nobody in the Mathews family was.

He then suddenly wondered if Anna would be mad that he wasn't going to be at DX. He silently kicked himself. Ricky knew who she was, where she lived, and was interested in her.

God, he couldn't wait to get out of jail.

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_It's only when you're tested that you truly discover who you are. And it's only when you're tested that you discover who you can be. The person that you want to be does exist, and somewhere in the other side of hard work and faith, and belief and beyond, is the heartache and fear of what life has._


	2. Ain't It Wonderful

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I do not own _The Outsiders_ by S.E Hinton, nor do I own the song "Dreamer" by Jenn Grant.

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**Monday, April 2nd, 1967**

Anna took a long drag of her cigarette, and lifted the two front legs of her chair up. She let it fall down to the ground, then lifted it's legs up again. She tapped her some-what long nails on the kitchen table and sighed in frustration.

Ponyboy looked over at her suddenly and broke out in a grin. "You wanna quit fidgetin'?"

"I can't help it," she exhaled, "I really need an essay topic before school."

Anna snuck a look at Ponyboy's paper. He was writing about _Gone With The Wind_. "Hey," he put his elbows on the paper, "Nice try. Pick yer own topic."

"I can't," she complained, then laughed.

Ponyboy wrote his name at the top right hand corner of his paper, and looked at her again. "Ya don't normally throw yourself in homework unless somethin's wrong..." he paused and gave her a long look. "You okay?"

Anna fidgeted with her pencil, and doodled her name at the top of the page. "I heard Two-Bit got sent to jail for slashin' some Socs tires," she said quietly. Ponyboy barely heard her, but when he heard the words _Two-Bit _and _jail_ he knew what she had said.

He nodded, "I heard the same."

Anna suddenly looked at Pony, "Why would he do that?"

Anna thought about Two-Bit. He never used to be like that. But then, the whole gang and her noticed that he had changed dramatically ever since the passing of Johnny and Dally. It was like he had no influence on how to act. Nobody to protect, or to cheer up.

Anna watched Ponyboy as he hesitated with his answer, "He's probably still rattled up about last September."

Anna remembered how touchy Two-Bit had been when they spoke on the bus about Dal and Johnny.

"We were supposed to prank Steve the other day," she admitted.

Pony gave her an accessible look, "Really?" he said in a high voice.

She chuckled and smiled shyly, "You knew?"

"Of course. It's _you_ and _Two-Bit_," he said in a regular voice. "S'that why you were waitin' at DX for two hours?" he asked.

She nodded.

"The prank woulda been good. Bad for Steve, for funny for everyone else," he commented.

"Yeah," she agreed, then pouted. "I think I'm gonna skip out on school today."

Pony gave her an incredulous look, "`Cause of Two-Bit?"

She gave him a puzzled look, "No. Course not."

Pony knew right away it was, because the tone in her voice gave it all away. "At least stay until lunch," he reasoned with her. Before she could answer, he looked abruptly at the clock and got up. "We should get goin'."

At that moment, Steve walked in the door. "Hey, kids," he greeted, "Soda! C'mon! Yer gonna be late!" he shouted up the stairs.

Soda came down clad in only a pair of blue jeans and wet dark gold hair. Anna turned red, and attempted to turn away.

"Didn't know Anna was still here or I woulda wore a shirt," he joked.

The boys began nudging her and made kissing noises, while Soda threw his arm around her neck and kissed her cheek. She shrugged out of his old, and got up.

She cleared her throat awkwardly, "Um, Pony we should get going."

"Y'all need a ride to school?" Steve asked, shoving chocolate cake in his mouth.

Anna and Pony exchanged a look, and Anna cocked her eyebrow. "What's the catch?"

Soda ran upstairs to get a shirt.

"I just fixed my car and I wanna try it out," he said with a matter-of-fact expression.

_I should've guessed_, she thought. She gathered her books in her bag, and slung it over her shoulder. Suddenly something slipped out of the pocket of her bag. Steve picked up the switchblade that made a light thud. He cocked an eyebrow. "Why do ya carry one-a these?"

Anna blushed and tried to reach for it, but he held it above his head. He was practically egging her on to jump like a fool - but she crossed her arms. "Two-Bit gave it to me," she snapped.

He had given it to her last September before the rumble, because greasers were forbidden to walk alone then. But things changed now. It wasn't like she used it anyways.

_''Carry this,'' Two-Bit handed her a closed knife._

_''Why?'' she asked, fiddling with it. She pressed one button and it flashed out, nearly giving her a heart attack._

_''Greasers can't walk alone,'' he said in a serious tone._

"Aw, how sweet," he kidded, "He gets outta jail today at third period."

Snatching her knife back, she shoved it back in her bag. "Do you know anythin' about when he gets out?"

Steve thought for a moment, "Nope. Only that his mom's gotta pick 'em up and sign some paperwork. That's `bout it."

Soda came running down the stairs, and hopped off the last step. "Who?" he asked, adjusting his blue DX cap.

"Two-Bit," they all said.

"Real smooth, Two-Bit," he murmured. They all headed out to Steve's newly fixed car, and filed in. She held her bag on her lap, and laced her fingers together tightly.

Steve turned the key in the ignition, and put the car in reverse so he could pull out of the driveway. He drove to DX, and stopped as Sodapop unbuckled his seatbelt and got out.

"I'll be there right after school," Steve said.

Soda said bye, and was greeted by a swarm of girls. He did his best to ignore them all, and walked right to the car he and Steve had been working on. Anna thought of Sandy. She had cheated on Soda intentionally, got pregnant, then left to Florida. Would Sandy ever come back and beg for Soda's forgiveness? Would Soda would even forgive her and take her back? Marry her, have a life? Anna doubted it. Sandy and Anna were never real close friends, but being Soda's girlfriend, Anna decided it was only fair to be polite. She regretted it now.

Steve pulled into the school parking lot of Will Rogers. There were hundreds of greasers and Socs that were pushing and shoving to get into the building. Steve put the car in park and they all got out.

Evie and Katie came over to them.

"Did you hear about Two-Bit gettin' thrown in the cooler?" Katie asked.

"I heard from everybody," she muttered.

Katie mumbled something about not wanting to get involved with another hood. Anna tried to ignore her. Katie departed from them, and walked off to her senior friends. She was held back an extra year for failing. She had told Anna there was no rush in trying to go off to college - it wasn't like she had the brains to go anyways.

"So," Evie said once Pony and Steve had left to go say hi to the boys from Brumly, "What are ya really thinkin' about Two-Bit gettin' jailed?"

Anna wondered why it was suddenly such a big topic. She desperately wished that people would get over it. It's not like it was a big deal - people in Tulsa got thrown in the cooler every other day. For worse things than slashing tires too.

"I don't know," she said honestly. They walk into their first class, Science, together. The majority of the class was talking silently. It sounded like the buzzing of bees.

"You gotta date to the dance on Friday yet?" Evie asked, suddenly changing the subject.

Anna leaned forward and rested her elbows on the cold wooden desk and stared forward. "No.''

Evie was talking about Steve, one of many popular topics between the two, but Anna tried her best to block it out. It was bad enough that her best friend had been jailed, but it was worse that she had somehow been very angry with him. She had a right too, didn't she? He had said he would be at DX...but instead he had carelessly gotten jailed. Yesterday, Anna had thought he forgot about there plans.

Class had begun. Anna tried extremely hard to focus on what Mr Greene had been talking about. She was lousy with Science, as she was with every topic. She could pass Math though. She thought that subject was easier than ever; even though she had barely passed with a 52% in February when exams were going on.

Mr Greene passed out a worksheet for the students to work on. Anna glanced at Evie. She was speeding threw it, while Anna doodled a cat at the top of her paper. As she drew the whiskers of the pencil-colored kitty, Evie sets down her pencil.

"Report cards are coming up," she said, excitedly.

Anna sighed.

"Excellent," she scratched the side of her head, "I'm going to fail."

As she said that, first period was over. Anna was blown away, surprised that it went by so fast. She then groaned loudly because English was next; and she hadn't thought of an essay topic. The class had two weeks to think of a topic, but she had only thought about the essay this morning.

She lazily got up out of the chair, and Evie must've noticed, because she let her arm drape around her shoulders. She gave her a reassuring shake. "Don't worry `bout it. Miss Hill ain't that bad."

"Thanks," Anna gave her a forced grin. Evie nodded, and walked out of the class to go to her class with Steve.

Anna started walking to her grade ten English class. Ponyboy had that class with her...and Johnny used, too. Before he had died.

Pony grinned at her, as Anna walked to the back of the class. There were an awful lot of Socs in that class.

"Hey," she sat beside him and let her books fall on the desk.

"Hi," he replied, "Did ya pick a topic yet?"

"No," she griped.

Class started faster then most classes did, and Anna hated that. Miss Hill came up and down the rows to collect the papers. "Thank you, Ponyboy." she smiled when Ponyboy gave her the sheet of paper. Miss Hill held out her hand, waiting for her paper to be put into it. Anna just pursed her lips.

"Miss Mercer, where is your paper?" she asked, sounding a bit snobbish.

"I couldn't think of a topic," she murmured.

The class fell silent and turned to look at Anna. She bit her tongue. "You had _two_ weeks to think of a topic," she snapped.

"I'm sorry," Anna said.

"Anna, you have repetitively not been completing your assigned work. I'm not going to lie to you, your grades are dropping. Now, you have two options. You can either take the suspension and complete the essay; or you can simply repeat your grade ten English course."

Anna drew in a quick breath. "I'll take the suspension," she said, embarrassed that Miss Hill had not taken her outside to discuss this. The whole class was holding in laughs, and Ponyboy was giving her a look that read sorry.

"Very well," she walked to the front of the class, "You can go to the office to discuss the rules of suspension. I'm sure your sister can enlighten you on that."

Miss Hill gave her a sheet of paper to give to the secretary, and shooed her out of the class.

Anna got up, and gave Ponyboy one last look. She exited the class room and started for the office. Her mom and Dan would be horrified at Anna. She had never been suspended before ... maybe it was because she hardly even went to school. But she still found it unfair to be suspended for not completing a stupid essay.

She opened the door to the office, and handed the secretary the paper. The secretary read over the note a few times, before sighing. She had probably dealt with plenty of greasers in the past few years. "Miss Hill has sent you here for your suspension?" she said.

Anna nodded and slumped down on one of the office chairs. "Mhm," she murmured.

"Okay...you will not be allowed on school grounds until Friday," she said.

"But that's the dance!" she whined, really wanting to go.

She nodded in agreement, "That it is. Alright, you can go to that...I'm sure you're suspension shouldn't effect that in any way. But until then, Miss Hill has requested that you complete your essay. If you do not return it - finished and completed - you will have to repeat your grade nine English course ... again."

Anna took those words in and sighed heavily. "Okay," she said shortly.

"...and we are going to have to let your Mother and Dan know." she added.

Anna didn't answer. She just got up, and exited the office. Her feet felt as heavy as cement. What was she going to do? She couldn't tell the gang that she had gotten suspended, though they would probably find out anyways. She could picture it now. They would all tease her about being a 'bad ass' like them. She knew for a fact that Pony and Darry would join in on it. As much as people thought, those boys were no innocent. That whole Curtis family was conceited. She knew she had to leave the school, but she didn't want to walk alone. She decided to wait at her locker for Steve. He usually always skipped third period with Evie, so she would catch him.

There wasn't much Anna could do about her being suspended. Dan would never hit Anna - she knew that. But his words felt like swords cutting threw her. It hurt her that he always yelled at her, but it hurt her deeply that her own mother didn't even take up for her. She always took Dan's side, like he was always right. Anna desperately wanted them to divorce ... but she knew that if she did try and break them up, then it wouldn't end well. Her mother would be forever depressed, and her step-father would beat Anna for sure.

She figured getting yelled at wouldn't be bad; but what she didn't want was to be kicked out. She saw how hard it made a person's personality. Whenever she saw Steve at Pony's house, she automatically knew that he had been hacked off at his place. Anna wondered how Steve could keep his cool and not be a hood like Dally used to be.

The bell for third period rang, and Anna waited patiently waited for Steve to come. Steve would be her ride home, considering Ponyboy couldn't drive yet. Anna could have gotten her license long ago, but she didn't have enough money to buy a car.

She caught Steve by the arm. He turned around.

"We were just goin' to meet Two-Bit and his Ma at the jail," he said, "Did ya wanna come?"

Anna nodded, and looked at Evie. "I was plannin' on goin' anyways, but I needed a ride there." she said. They walked through the crowded hallways, and suddenly someone had Anna's wrists pinned to her sides. She looked at the boy that was standing infront of her. It was Ricky Forsyth. What did he want?

Ricky looked at Anna and smiled bitterly. He had dark brown hair, that was much darker than Soda's, and mud brown eyes. "So did ya hear `bout the dance Friday night?"

"Yeah," she said slowly.

"Do you have-a date?" he questioned, letting go of his rough grip on her.

She had a strong temptation to rub her some-what red wrists, but thought it wasn't very tough to show that she was in pain. Especially infront of the leader of a gang. Anna wondered if foolishly, she should lie about her answer. Two-Bit had warned her about Ricky a few times, but she didn't remember exactly what he had said. She didn't think Ricky would ever talk to her in the first place.

"No," she said at last. She kicked herself mentally for telling the truth.

"Good," he said, "Did ya wanna go with me?"

Anna looked over his shoulder at Steve and Evie. Evie was nodding brightly, but Steve shook his head. Anna looked around the halls, but they were now empty.

"Sure," she said, just for the hell of it. At least now she had a date.

"Alright," he said, backing up and briefly shaking hands with Steve. "I'll pick ya up at 6:30 on Friday, then."

Anna nodded, but realised his back was already turned on her and he was heading down the halls for the doors. Greasers hardly ever stayed the entire day of school. Some arrived in the afternoon, and some left in the afternoon.

"Anna you have no idea what you just did," was all Steve said, before turning around to leave. Anna and Evie were right on his heels. Evie smiled nicely at Anna, but she was looking at the pavement as they reached outside.

"Whaddya talkin' `bout?" she said softly, "I didn't have a date...so I —" she began, but was fleetly cut off by Steve.

"You said _yes_ to fucking Ricky Forsyth, of all people!" Anna flinched at the tone in his voice, "Besides, I thought you'd be goin' with Two-Bit. Or at least Ponyboy."

Anna cocked her eyebrow and put her hands on her waist, "And what's that supposed to mean? I can't go with other people?"

Steve opened the door for Evie, who was silent, and Anna slipped in the back seat. He put the car into drive and pulled out of his parking space.

"I ain't sayin' that," he reasoned, "I'm just sayin' that you shoulda told him you'd at least _think_ about it. Ever think maybe Two-Bit or Pony were plannin' on askin' ya?"

Anna shook her head. "No," she admitted, "I didn't really think of that."

Steve shook his head slowly, and Anna definitely didn't miss the roll of his eyes. "Well you should use yer head more."

Anna chuckled, much to Steve and Evie's confusion. "You sound a helluva lot like Darry when you say that."

Steve laughed to himself, and Evie cracked up. "Isn't Two-Bit takin' Katie, or Kathy...or one of his blondes?" Evie asked, suddenly jumping in the conversation.

Steve looked as if he had totally forgotten about them. "Anna's sister?" he asked Evie.

"Yes...her name is Katie," Evie said sarcastically, and kissed his cheek. Anna was afraid Steve would let his hormones get the best of him and start necking Evie while he was driving. Luckily, he kept his eyes focused on the road. But she didn't miss the grin he had on his face when she kissed his cheek.

"Whatever," he shrugged, and pulled into the jail parking lot. "I still think you shoulda went with him."

"Two-Bit?" she asked, feeling her cheeks turn red. She got slightly aggravated when Steve didn't answer. He was obviously to caught up in seeing his buddy than answering her question. They all saw Two-Bit laughing with his mother.

"Hey!" Anna said, pretty excited that her best friend was out of jail. She jumped into his arms and he grinned at her.

"Hey, Mercer," he said with an ear-to-ear smile, "S`good to see ya."

XXXXX

Two-Bit looked into her ocean blue eyes, and he knew that she was hurt by what had happened. Even though she looked happy as ever, he could still see it in the way she looked at him. He was trying to make out the expression that was on her face. He didn't understand why she looked so ... guilty?

"Hey, man. How was it?" Steve asked, slapping him reassuringly on the back.

"Not bad. Hey, did y'all know Tim got picked up, too?" he asked, laughing at how miserable his buddy had been. "He's pissed that he's gotta miss that prom shit on Friday. Claim's he was really lookin' forward to causin' a brawl."

Steve laughed. Two-Bit noticed how Anna was oddly quiet. He ruffled her hair. "`Sup with you, kid? Ain't you excited `bout goin'?"

Two-Bit suddenly noticed how Steve and Evie gave her a look with raised eyebrows, as if they knew something. Something that he didn't know.

Anna turned red and shrugged slightly, "I guess so."

"Do ya gotta date?" he asked, just to be asking. He knew that he would probably be going with Katie or Kathy, but he wanted to know if his best frend needed an escort. He sure as hell wasn't going stag like most greasers did. The only party were everyone had a date was at Buck's. He knew greasers only went to the prom just to cause trouble - like Tim had wanted too.

_"Man, I really was lookin' forward to causin' a brawl," Tim drawled, leaning back on the wall that was near his bed._

_"You won't be missin' much," Two-Bit said, grinning whole heartedly._

Now Two-Bit was definitely confused. Anna's entire face switched from beat red, to snow pale. "Yeah," she said, barely above a whisper.

"That's good," Two-Bit grinned and patted her on the back, "Who?"

She didn't answer.

"Ricky Forsyth," Steve said threw gritted teeth, still staring down at Anna.

Two-Bit froze inside. Ricky Forsyth? Why did she say yes to Ricky? He knew that she was going to get a date - a catch like her obviously would - but of all people, _Ricky_? It sure as hell wasn't any of his business who she went with, and who she rejected, but he really couldn't help but feel a pain of jealousy. ''I see,'' he said, blocking out his anger.  
Two-Bit remembered how ever since Tim had mentioned the dance to him, he knew that Ricky would ask Anna. Since when did Anna take an interest in Ricky? The last thing he wanted was for his best friend to get involved with a greasy pansy like Forsyth.

Two-Bit's mom left them, claiming she had to go to work. Two-Bit and Anna slid in the back seat, while quiet Evie took shot gun, and Steve took drivers seat.

''Don't look so beat up `bout goin' with Ricky. He's a good guy,'' Two-Bit easily lied.

Lying was like a second language to him. He shrugged as if he didn't care. Truth be told, he did care. He seriously didn't want his best friend to go with Ricky. He knew that he couldn't talk stubborn-Anna into going with someone else. She wasn't _interested_ in anyone else ... but maybe there was another way. He could lie, and say Soda was planning on asking her to go with him. Anna would do her friends a favor; that's one thing Two-Bit knew for sure about Anna.

Two-Bit, and everyone else, knew for shit that Ricky wasn't taking her to 'be nice'. He knew that when Anna refused to do anything Ricky wanted her to do, he would get violent. He was the only guy in Tulsa, Oklahoma that wasn't afraid to hit a girl. When Steve dropped Anna off at her house, Two-Bit furrowed his brow.

''Whaddya doin' home? Ain't you goin' back to school?'' he asked her.

''Suspended,'' she muttered. Steve, Evie, and Two-Bit all looked at her, surprised. ''Evie, are ya still comin' over after school?'' she asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

Evie unbuckled her seatbelt, kissed Steve for a long moment on the lips and got out. ''I can come over now. I'm acin' all my classes anyways.''

Once the door shut and the girls were out of earshot, Steve slammed on the gas.

''So, yer jealous, huh?'' Steve said.

''Jealous?'' Two-Bit repeated. Jealous wasn't the fitting word that Two-Bit would use. Irritated. Aggravated. Pissed. Astonished. Those words perfectly fitted how he felt about the whole Anna-Ricky situation. ''I ain't jealous."

''Don't shit around,'' Steve said, ''You're jealous that you can't protect Anna from Forsyth."

Two-Bit wondered if he really was jealous, but then immediately brushed the 'jealousy' off. ''Na, I'm pro'lly gonna have to take Katie or Kathy.''

Steve simply rolled his eyes, ''Sure. You know, if ya wanna go with Anna then I can help you take 'er."

"I ain't in'erested in `er," Two-Bit said, "I just wish she would go with someone else other than fucking Ricky."

Steve nodded, "Yeah, sure whatever. Well, I know one guy that doesn't have a date. Not yet, anyways."

Two-Bit looked at Steve and raised both of his eyebrows, "Really, now? And who would that be?" _Soda, Soda, Soda_...Two-Bit chanted in his head.

Steve smirked, "Sodapop."

The two boys looked at eachother, and nodded slowly. Two-Bit grinned at him. "Two great minds think alike." he said, high-fiving Steve.

Two-Bit then, suddenly yet again, thought about Dally and Johnny. He knew that it wouldn't be the same without teasing Johnny to dance with a girl, which was pretty hilarious, or watching Dally's girl drama. Two-Bit found it pretty fucking funny when Dally was with one girl, than a whole swarm of 'em would come up and start clawing his eyes out because he was 'cheating'. He was having doubts about going, though. He didn't understand how manipulating Anna into going with some other guy was mean. But then again, he hardly thought it was fair to ruin her plans because _he_ didn't like her date.

But how the hell was he supposed to have a good time knowing Anna was probably being pushed to her breaking point by Ricky?

* * *

_Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swaps of the no-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have not been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. it exists...it is real...it is possible...it is yours._


	3. All Day And All Of The Night

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Outsiders_ by S.E Hinton, nor do I own the song "All Day And All Of The Night" by The Kinks.

* * *

**Tuesday, April 3rd, 1967**

Anna sat at home, lazily watching TV. She flicked threw the channels but nothing particuarly appealed to her. Everything good was on after school. It was like the TV station put the lousy shows on while students where supposed to be at school. But Anna couldn't go to school; she had been suspended. She _could_ work on her essay that she was supposed to be doing - but then shook that out of her head. Writing a stupid essay was the last thing that she wanted to do. She decided to just watch the MTV music channel and play some music. She started humming to a song by The Beatles, when suddenly her mother and step-father came in the door. They were home early.

She jumped and ran up to shut the TV off. "What are y'all doin' here?" she asked suddenly, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew that when her school had called, her parents were still sleeping so she had simply erased the message. But she knew that now was the time to do some explaining.

Of course, Dan was the first to ask her. "Why the hell ain't you at school?" he asked icily.

Anna bit her lip and looked down. _Because I'm suspended_, she thought. Some things are easier said than done. But, with all confidence, she took a deep breath and explained to them what happened. From when she was at Ponyboy's, to when she was at the office. Caroline didn't bat an eye when she had told them she had two weeks to come up with a reasonable topic, but Dan sure as hell did.

Dan walked over to Anna, and Caroline gave her daughter with a pleading look. "If you wanna live under _my_ roof, than you have to follow _my_ rules. You ain't goin' anywhere `till you finish that fucking essay. Ya hear?"

The fact that Dan thought her house was _his_ shook her. He had intruded on Katie, Anna and Caroline's personal life. They were all getting along just fine. Well, as fine as a poor greaser family would. Sure they had there conflicts, but with Dan suddenly in there lives, they had a lot more problems than they used too. Suddenly everything to Dan was a huge deal.

All of the anger Anna had toward Dan was bottled up inside. And suddenly, all of it just lashed out. "You ain't my father," she wailed, "So you can't tell me what to do. This ain't your house either! If you weren't married to my mom, I would tell you to get the hell out!"

Dan didn't bat an eye. "Honey, sit down...you're working yourself up," Caroline said reassuringly.

Anna spun to face her mother. "No, I'm so sick and tired of you taking _his_ side all the time!"

Caroline opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off suddenly by Dan. "Your father didn't want you, Anna. Can't you see that? That's why I'm here! So you better fucking respect me, you little bitch!" he hollered.

Anna didn't say anything. She hated Dan with everything she had, but he had never sunk that low. He had never brought up her father - nobody should ever talk about her father. For years Anna tried to convince herself that her father did love her, but him and Caroline had just been to young to take care of Anna. But as those words spilled out of Dan's mouth, all of those years were gone. Anna didn't have much memory of her father...but she did love him. And for some unfathomable reason, she believed that he loved her too.

She stomped up the stairs. "Aw, don't be such a fucking baby!" she heard Dan yell up at her, but she ignored him. Her insides were burning up and she had a sudden urge to punch something. She knew for a fact that her mom wouldn't come up to see if she was alright. The first thing her mom would do was see if _he_ - she refused to think or say his name - was alright. Anna had to live with them for a another few years because she would never make enough money to get her own house. She could get a job, then she would have an excuse to be away from them all of the time.

Hot tears started to spill out of her eyes. She wiped at her cheeks furiously, and looked over at a picture that was on her table. It was of Caroline, Katie, her father...and her. She took it in her shaky hands, and unable to control her anger, she chucked it at the wall. It made a loud crashing noise, and the little bits of glasses flew off the wall and onto the floor.

She opened her squeaky window, and climbed out. Even though she wasn't allowed out, and even though she probably looked like crap, she continued to walk out. She knew the one place that would get her mind off of things. The one person who could help her get _him_ off of her mind. DX.

She saw Sodapop from a distance. He was leaning against a car that he should've been working on, but he was nodding his head to music and flipping threw a magazine. The song took a pause as it was over, and he looked up and saw Anna. She knew that she was redfaced, but she did her best to force a grin.

He simply looked at her and turned off the radio. "Why are you cryin'?" he asked in a gentle voice, as if talking to an injured animal.

"Can we please not talk about it?" she asked softly, picking up a car magazine and burrying her thoughts into it. She flipped threw the pages, only briefly glancing at the car models on each page. She read a small expert on a How-To.

Soda nodded. "Do ya need a place to stay tonight?"

Anna looked up at at him and gave him a real smile. "You must ask that a lot," she joked and set the magazine on the ground next to the others. She picked up another one, the car on the front page appealed to her, and began flipping fast-paced threw it.

"You bet," he took the bait and joked back. He put his arm around her shoulders in a friendly matter, "It's gonna be okay, Anna. Whatever happened."

Anna just nodded and couldn't help but roll her eyes at how he was always happy-go-lucky, "Whatever you say, Sodapop."

He took his arm off of her shoulder and opened the trunk to a Corvair. A bunch of smoke blew up in his face. He coughed and waved it away. Anna chuckled lightly at him, and stopped when she saw an old, beat up car in the corner. It was covered in mud, and other stuff, with no tires and a broken mirror. There were no rear view mirrors, and the windshield had a giant crack in it. "What happened to that car?" she asked, her gaze not leaving it.

Soda followed her eyes and fixed his eyes on the car. "Some car that me and Stevie tried to fix a few weeks ago."

Anna smiled at him, "Guess it didn't go well."

He huffed, but didn't say anything. He walked over to the car and wiggled his finger for her to join him. She walked slowly but surely over to the car. "Wow," she said to herself as she got closer. "Can I have it?" she asked suddenly.

Soda looked at her and blinked. "Why do you want it? The car is crap and ain't worth anythin' more than a piece of grass."

She laughed at his remark. "It's just somethin' that I can have that's mine and nobody elses." she shrugged.

"You gotta get a license, first. I ain't lettin' you drive it without knowin' how too." he told her sternly.

She smiled sweetly. "You can teach me, Pepsi-Cola."

"Not a chance, Anna-Banana."

Her shoulders slumped. "But can we at least work on it? I'll try an' get my license while we fix it."

He considered it for a moment. "Alright. I suppose we can work on it. S'only 8 anyways," he gave her a winning grin.

"Really?" she asked, as if not expecting that answer. Her eyes lit up, and thought about the rusty car. The brand of car was covered up by the clumps of mud, but it looked like a Mustang. When they were done with it, it would be hers. And it would be the tuffest car in town.

"Sure," she shrugged, "It ain't been doin' no good but rottin' here."

She couldn't help but squeal like a little girl. "Thanks so much, Sodapop!" she cried gleefully and hugged him. She looked at the car one last thing. She couldn't even see the color of the damn car. It looked like shit now, but in the future, it would be amazing.

XXXXX

Two-Bit rested his chin on the palm of his hand. He sat in first period Geography, bored with what was happening in the lesson. He looked at the blonde beside him and grinned.

_"The seats you are in now will be your seats for the remaining months of the year," the teacher said._

It just so happened that the gorgeous blonde had been sitting beside him that day. She was obviously really into the lesson, so he let her try and get it in her pretty little head.

The lesson had ended quickly - it was just there male teacher attempting to tell them how to do the worksheet. "Hey," he said to her, knowing th teacher was to deaf to realise half of the class was already gossiping.

She glanced at him and smiled. "Hey, Two-Bit."

He took a look at her, and then grinned wider, recognizing that it was Kathy. "Kathy, wow, I forgot you were in this class with me." he watched her face, and notices that for a quick second she looked hurt. But she gave him a forced smile.  
"Well I am," she said lightly, going back to scrawling work on the paper.

Two-Bit thought about the dance. He thought about the plan Stevie and him were going to talk about in second period gym together. Of course, neither of the two ever really did gym. Only Steve, because he had to much energy and no other way to blow it off. But Two-Bit was to damn lazy to play basketball or whatever other sport. He'd much rather sit out and watch the girls play. But this time they were going to skip, and smoke in Two-Bit's car.

"So are you going to the dance?" Kathy asked Two-Bit.

He was taken by surprise. "Yuppers," he grinned at her and popped his lips on the _P_.

"Do you...have a date?" she asked slowly, her eyes darting from him to everywhere else. He saw the nervousness in her expression, and gave her a small smile as her eyes finally settled into his.

"Not yet," he said.

"Well if you want, I mean you don't have to, uh, did you wanna go with me? If you weren't going with someone else," she said quietly.

Two-Bit smiled brightly. _Guess I ain't takin' Katie_, he thinks to himself. "Sure. That'd be nice."

When Kathy looked away, he grimaced. When he told the guys that Kathy asked _him_ to the dance, they would think he was a wuss. He agreed to tell them that he had asked her, not vice versa. Of all the gang, only Steve and Two-Bit had dates. Soda was going stag, so far, Darry had graduated already, and Ponyboy was probably to shy to ask anyone to go with him. Two-Bit would get Soda and Pony dates. They were good-looking, so he then wondered if plenty of girls had asked them first.

"Are you good friends with Anna?" he blurted.

Kathy pursed her rose-pink lips. "No," she said and gave him a frown.

He nodded. "Have ya ever heard of Ricky Forsyth?"

Kathy cocked an eyebrow, and nodded. "Yeah, he's the leader of that gang...what's it called?"

"River Kings," he answered.

"Right," she paused, "Why?"

Two-Bit debated whether or not he should tell her. "Do you know who he's taking to the dance?"

Kathy thought for a moment before answering. "Yeah, actually I heard he was taking Katie Mercer's kid sister, Anna."

Everybody knew Anna because of Katie. They didn't just know Anna and not know Katie, they all knew Anna _because_ of Katie. Her reputation wasn't so good. Two-Bit wondered how the 'good news' had been spread around already. It had only happened yesterday, as far as Two-Bit knew at least. Two-Bit just nodded as an answer, and looked at the worksheet. He sure as hell wasn't about to do work.

"He's a bad guy," Kathy continued, not wanting the conversation to die. "I don't like him at all. My brother hates him." she rambled.

"You're brother is James Johnstone, ain't he?"

Kathy gave him a small smile. "Yeah."

"He's a good guy," Two-Bit said. James was so greasy he glides when he walks. James once told Two-Bit that he went to the hair dresses for an oil change, not a haircut. Greasers didn't like haircuts, and some greasers didn't even wear grease. So Two-Bit would just think of them as hoods. Kinda like Dally, who didn't like haircuts _or_ hair grease.

"I just wanna ask you somethin'," she said.

God, girls could talk a lot.

"Sure, what?" he asked, the amount of boredum in his voice made Kathy some-what make a face.

"You and Anna are pretty close friends, huh?" she said, as if she was being sent to the eletric chair. Two-Bit looked at her and nodded slowly.

"Yeah."

"Well, I heard from...someone...that you were supposed to be goin' on a date with her sister?"

Two-Bit shrugged, sighing that her question wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. "I'll pro'lly blow `er off."

"You know she's goin' to the dance with Bryan Coleman though, right?"

Bryan Coleman was the leader of the Brumly outfit. Katie sure had odd interest in boys. It was like she _liked_ dating extreme hoods. Hoods that would grow up to be old hoods. Two-Bit liked to think that he wouldn't grow up a greaser, even though he felt old already. Eighteen ain't as young as some people thought it was. It was old, and it was pretty hard to take the regrets he had back.

"No I didn't know that," he laughed, "Oh well."

For the rest of the period they were silent, and oddly, Two-Bit was sort of thankful. Kathy sure had a mouth on her. He definitely didn't miss the side-glances she would give him. He knew that she was definitely interested in him. It's just something that Two-Bit could tell. He knew when a girl was really interested in him, and when a girl was losing interest. That's why he was always the dumper, never the dumpee. He really couldn't remember a time where _he _had been dumped.

The bell for second period rang, and the loud chatter of students filled the room. "Want me to walk you to yer next class?" he asked her, trying to act like a gentleman. It was the least he could do. He was the man in the relationship - well, the relationship they would have after the dance. Or maybe before it.

He grinned as she blushed and nodded. "Okay."

They walked in a comfortable silence to her next class, which Two-Bit recognized as Anna's English class. He looked in the class and looked around for Anna. He wondered what the reason for her absense was. _Oh yeah, she's suspended_, he thought then chuckled to himself.

"You failed grade nine English?" he asked, giving her a gentle and sympathetic look.

"Yeah," she said, embarrassed. "How did you know?"

"Anna did too," he said, "Y'all are in the same class as Ponyboy, my buddy."

Kathy gave Two-Bit a long, admiring look. Two-Bit had a good feeling about Kathy. It had only been a few weeks that he _really_ noticed her, and he sure as hell knew that he was interested now. He would ask her to be his girl when the right time came. "Maybe I'll talk to her sometime," she reasoned and waved goodbye to Two-Bit.

He jutted his chin in response, and turned around, almost slamming into Steve. He shut his eyes and blew out a startled breath. Steve stood there, with one eyebrow arched up. "Ready to go?" he asked, obviously not asking the real question. Steve normally didn't speak whatever was really on his mind...but at the same time he could really opininated with things when he wanted to be.

"Sure am," he said and looked at Steve as they walked down the empty hallway, "Ya don't mind if I bum a weed or two from ya?" he asked.

Steve threw him a pack of Kools. "Alright, so...I talked to Soda the other night `bout Anna."

"Why?" Two-Bit asked, suddenly getting a bit defensive.

"The dance...?" Steve said, as if it were obvious. It was, but since talking to Kathy, Anna really hasn't been on Two-Bit's mind much at all. She was a lot, but only because he worried about her. Sometimes she didn't use her head, and he knew that sooner or later it would get her in a lot of trouble. Kinda like how saying yes to Ricky was about to cause her some drama.

"Oh, oh yeah, right," Two-Bit said as they opened the doors to go outside. He then shook his head, "About that..." he trailed off.

"What?" Steve said in a rude tone.

"Kathy asked me in first period," he said, then cursed himself for not telling Steve that he had asked her. He shrugged it off.

"Is she blonde?" Steve asked, sighing. He hopped into shot gun, while Two-Bit got in the front seat.

"Yeah," he said, thinking of Kathy. Everytime he saw her, she was wearing a lot of make up and hardly any clothing. Not that it bothered him at all, it really didn't.

"Okay," Steve let out a sigh, "When you're with Kathy...can't ya just keep a close eye on Anna and Ricky?"

Two-Bit shook his head. "What did Soda say?" he avoided the question. He didn't want Anna going with Ricky at all. Even if he had a date.

"It took a lot of convincing," he admitted, "Once I told him that Ricky was takin' her, he said he'd do it for Anna. So he's down for it if you still are."

Two-Bit nodded and lit up a smoke. Soda was a good buddy to have. He grinned in satisfaction at the thought of Ricky going stag. He then groaned loudly in annoyance. They hadn't yet spoke to Anna.

"Now the real problem," Steve sighed and took a drag of his smoke. "Convincing Anna."

"That'll be easy," Two-Bit said, flicking his ashes at Steve, "Just leave to me."

XXXXX

Anna and Soda smiled at eachother, and then at the car. She brushed her hands together, trying to smack the dust off of them, and sighed happily. The car now had four tires, two rear view mirrors on both sides of the car, and it had a new windshield. Anna had asked Soda where he had managed to get the spare stuff, but he just grinned and didn't answer.

"Fixing cars is exhausting," she wiped the sweat off of her forehead, "How do you and Steve do it all the time?"

Soda shrugged. "We like it."

"Clearly," she muttered.

"Two-Bit and Steve are here," he announced, his eyes fixed on Two-Bit's Plymouth. He looked somewhat puzzled, but he walked over to greet them as they got out. Anna was right on his heels.

"Hey, guys. What are y'all doin' outta school?" Soda asked.

"Can I talk to Anna for a quick sec?" Two-Bit asked, looking at Anna. She nodded and turned her back to walk to her car. Two-Bit followed her with a puzzled look on his face.

"Like my car?" she asked him.

Two-Bit stared wide-eyed at the mud-covered Mustang. It looked like shit, but to Anna, it looked perfect. "Yeah it's nice," he said for her sake.

Anna knew he was lying by the tone in his voice. He lied all the time. She leaned against it. "What's up?"

"Kathy asked me to the dance," he said grinning widely.

Anna nodded. "That's good. Congrats, Two-Bit."

She wondered why he wasn't taking Katie. It felt forever since she saw Kathy yesterday. The last time she saw Katie was when Katie was asking her about the grape juice stain on the carpet. Anna had just shrugged and grinned at the memory.

"Did you know that she's in yours and Ponyboy's English class?" he asked as he lit up a smoke.

"No," she admitted, "I only really paid attention to Pony."

Anna's second period English class was full of Socs. It was unfortunate, but also not so bad because she had Ponyboy and a few fellow greasers that sat at the back. She kinda enjoyed going to school, but only for her friends. She couldn't care less about her school work, though it seemed as if she did.

"Well I kinda wanted to tell, or ask, you somethin'." Two-Bit said.

"Sure," she said, and cursed herself at the softness in her voice.

"None of the gang wants to go stag this year, y'know, for the dance," he said slowly.

Anna raised both of her eyebrows, and wondered if he was going to ask her. Her heart was beating in her chest. "Yeah...?" she prompted.

"Soda might ask ya," he blurted.

_How sixth grade is this?_, the devil on her shoulder said. She was taken off gaurd, not expecting that at all. Soda hadn't said a word about the dance when they were hanging out. "How do you know that?"

Two-Bit gave a side-glance at Steve and Soda, who were talking and watching them at the same time. Anna tried not to follow his gaze. "I was just givin' you a heads up. He might."

"Doesn't he know I'm going with Ricky?" she asked quietly.

Two-Bit shook his head. "With that just happened with Sandy, I think that maybe you should at least _consider_─"

"He has a whole shitload of girls who would kill to go with him. Why me?" she snapped.

"Your his friend, and you like him for who he is. Those girls like him for his looks," he retorded. Anna cocked her eyebrow at his tone. It seemed as though he was trying a little to hard to convince her to go with Sodapop.

"Look," she said, crossing her arms. "I don't know if I'm going to be able to go anyways. I don't even have money to get a dress." she frowned.

"Won't your mom get you one?" he asked, his tone changing completely.

"Maybe. Depends on what mood she's in," Anna admitted. That wasn't the truth. It really all depended if Dan was there or not when Anna asked.

"So you'll go with him? I mean, if he asks?" Two-Bit asked, his voice sounded hopeful.

Anna sighed in defeat. "Sure," she lied.

Anna was going with Ricky. Last night she was really thinking about it, and she was flattered that Ricky Forsyth had wanted to go with her. She wondered if Anna was the first girl that he had asked. He was good looking, the leader of a rough gang, and he had wanted to go with _her_.

Anna would be going with Ricky ─ and there wasn't anything anybody could do about that. Her decision was made, and she knew she wouldn't change her mind.

* * *

_We all live in a house of fire. No fire department to call. No way out. Just the upstairs window to look out of while the fure burns the house down...with us trapped, locked in it._

**A/N: **Two chapters in one day! Please review. :)


	4. Believe Me, I'm Lying

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Outsiders_ by S.E Hinton, nor do I own "Believe Me I'm Lying" by Forever The Sickest Kids.

* * *

**Wednesday, April 4th, 1965**

Anna was adding the finishing touches of her three page assigned essay. She had decided to write about the music legend, Elvis Presley. She skimmed through it a few times before deciding that is was presentable to give to Miss Hill. She was damn tired - she had worked all day on it.

She started to tap her pencil on the table, while quickly reading the last paragraph. Setting the paper down, she got up and deciding to fill her growling stomach with food. It was a late on a Wednesday night, and Anna was home alone. She didn't like being home alone, but the radio had been blasting, and she had been so occupied in writing her essay, her fear had been gone. She opened the fridge and looked through it. Though it was full of food, nothing looked appealing enough to eat.

Thinking her Mom and Dan were home, she looked over at the door. But instead, her sister Katie came in. She slowly shut the door, and turned around with her head down. Even with all of the hair curtaining her face, the big bruise stuck out. Anna slammed the fridge shut and walked over to her injured sister.

Katie didn't budge. She just sat down on the coach, and curled up in the blanket Anna had left from taking a nap earlier. Anna watched as Katie slowly rested her head on the pillow, and shut her eyes. Anna walked over to sit on the edge of the coach, and looked down at Katie, who looked pained.

"Katie?" she said softly, but got no response. Katie wasn't one to cry, or to come home and sleep. She was always doing _something_. Anna wondered if she should just go make supper and leave Katie alone, but she decided that, as a good sister, it was her responsibility to make sure Katie was okay.

"Katie..." she shook her shoulders, and bit her lip as Katie winced. "What happened?"

Katie let out a hushed breath, and tears started to silently pour down her cheeks. They stained her face, but Katie made no effort to rub them away. Maybe all those years of holding in tears, she wanted them to come out now.

Anna stroked her sisters hair, and tried to reassure her. But even she knew things were obviously not okay, but that didn't mean Katie had to know that. "You gonna tell me what's wrong?" she asked after a few moments.

Anna's hand was still on Katie's shoulder. She felt Katie shrug. "Don't worry 'bout it, kid," she said hoarsely.

"I ain't a kid!" Anna said hotly, annoyed that her sister thought she was just some sixteen year old who knew nothing about reality.

Katie paused. She looked, and sounded, exhausted. "You're right. I think it's about time I gave ya more credit. You're almost seventeen."

Anna sure was confused. Why was Katie suddenly acting so ... Hollywood? Her sister was no saint, that was for sure. But she was no Plain Jane who gave reassuring speeches like she was now. Katie's eyes watered up again, and Anna felt her heart twist. Seeing her sister cry, afer holding it in for years, hurt her deeply.

"Please...tell me what's wrong," she pleaded, not being able to stand seeing her cry any longer.

Katie sat up a bit, and put her arm around Anna. The two cuddled together in a sisterly way. Katie rested her cheek on the top of Anna's head. "Bryan Coleman," was all she said. Anna wanted to look up at her sister, but she didn't want to ruin the moment. Their conversation had stopped suddenly, because Dan had come in the room with Caroline behind him.

Dan passed Caroline a bag, and she held them up in the air as if they were pom-poms. "We got your dresses!" she squealed.

Dan sighed, showing no sign of any emotion other than irritation. He had, clearly, been dragged all over town, for he did nothing but go to the fridge to get a beer.

"Kate, yours in pink. Anna yours is blue. Perfect blue," Caroline sat on the seperate chair that could only fit one person.

"What do you mean _perfect blue_?" Anna asked, looking into Caroline's sky blue eyes.

"You're eyes. There like...dark. An ocean, or somethin' of the sort. We got ya shoes too," Caroline seemed to be more excited about the dance then Anna was.

"I ain't goin'," Katie snapped, getting up and dragged the blanket along with her. She looked frightened. Bryan Coleman? Anna couldn't put the pieces together. She needed more than just that to work with.

Caroline's face dropped. "Sweety, what happened to your face?" she crossed her arms and looked at both of her daughter. "Did you and Anna get in another fight over that boy?"

When Anna was seven, and Katie was ten, they had both had a crush on the same boy. That boy had been Steve Randle, unfortunately. Though the girls vowed to never speak of it again, they still remembered it. Of course, Anna and Katie had still been in the stage where they thought cooties were real. Steve was still the same as he used to be; bitter. Steve lived pretty close to Soda, so he went there all the time. At least enough for his old man to never really have the opportunity to kick him out. Even when he was home, his Mom had still been alive and his dad had been happy. Mr & Mrs Curtis had still been alive too ... before they died.

"No," Katie growled, "I just had some problems with my date and I ain't goin' anymore. I'm droppin' out of school and leavin' this god damn town! I'm so sick of all these bastards and bitches that live here!" she raged, and started for the stairs that led upstairs.

Anna, Caroline and even Dan, were all shocked at Katie's behavior. Anna had her mouth open in shock, and found herself not being able to shut it. Caroline had sadness in her eyes, but her mouth was pressed in a straight line. Dan just looked emotionless, just like he always did. Dan would never change.

"I want you to find out what happened," Dan broke the silence and looked at Anna with heated brown eyes.

Anna rolled her eyes. "S'none of my business," she muttered.

Even before Dan had demanded her to find out, she had been planning on finding out anyways. Katie was her sister, her full sister, and her only sister. She would do whatever it took to protect her. Even though it should be vice versa, but Anna knew Katie watched out for her. Just not in the same way.

"Yes it is, Anna. I'm with you're father on this —" Caroline began, but was shortened by the way Anna stared at her.

Anna laughed a grim laugh, "Oh..." she laughed again, as if not believing what her mother had just said. "My _father_, huh?"

"Anna...I didn't...I didn't mean it like that..." she tried to explain, but Anna waved her hand in her face. She really wasn't in the mood to put up with whatever argument Dan and Caroline would try and pick out with her.

She ran up the stairs, and headed down the hall to her sisters room. Katie was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring into space, but she blinked and looked over at Anna as the door loudly creeked open.

"We need to talk," Anna said, not blinking as she stared at Katie.

Katie nodded and sniffed back her tears. "Yeah. I think we have some things to clear up, huh?"

"Yeah, we do," Anna agreed and sat beside her sister on the bed.

XXXXX

Two-Bit let his arm lazily rest on Kathy's shoulders, as she looked up at the movie screen. Kathy had finally agreed to go out with him, though it didn't take as much convincing as he thought it would. All day he had skipped out on school, really feeling no need to go. So today for him was pretty much a lazy day. He didn't mind Wednesday's at all, but he just didn't feel the urge to go to school. It's not like he learned anything anyways.

The movie was halfway finished, but it still had a while to go. Any other girl that came with him, he would have his hand up her shirt the moment the movie started. But Kathy wasn't like that. She was way different for what he took her for. He had thought that, foolishly, she was easy. When he had met her at Buck's, she sure was easy ... but not now. She definitely was playing hard to get, but Two-Bit liked that. He liked to have something to chase. But now he knew not to judge a book by it's cover.

"So," he whispered in her ear, pulling her closer to him. She took her fixed eyes off of the movie screen and looked over at Two-Bit.

"Watch the movie," she said ruefully.

He knew that she wasn't really watching the movie - or maybe she was - but he sure as hell knew he wasn't. He had probably yawned a total of twenty times through out the whole thing. He had got up to leave and go to the food stand a total of ten times. He even considered ditching a total of twelve times. All of that in a matter of thirty minutes. Every greaser that had passed him and Kathy, would laugh and make smart-ass comments about how he was 'losing his ways'. Two-Bit had just give them the finger, while Kathy rolled her eyes. Every greaser that came to the Nightly Double had been utterly confused as to why Two-Bit hadn't ditched with his blonde to make-out near the lake.

"Come on, baby," he stroked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear, "Do you really think I'm going to buy that you're watchin' the movie?" he whispered seductively.

"I am," she insisted, and looked down at her hands.

"No you ain't," he grinned at her.

"Alright," she sighed in defeat, "I'm not."

He winked at her, "I knew it. Now can we ditch?"

She turned to face him and gave him her undivided attention, "Two-Bit Mathews, if you expect me to go to prom with you on Friday, you seriously better be able to commit to us."

Two-Bit just grinned wider, "I think I can make an exception for you, babe."

She looked away from him and up at the screen, leaning back on his arm. "Good."

Kathy sure could be a fiesty one.

"So did ya pick yer dress out?" he asked, hoping that being nice to her would get him lucky tonight.

She sighed and looked over at him, irritated. "Yeah, I did."

"What color?" he asked, sipping on his Coke. He watched her answer, trying to look as if it was interesting.

She bit her lip. He knew that she didn't want to tell him, "Pink."

"That'd look beautiful on ya, baby," he kissed her cheek, jawline, and everywhere else but her mouth. He knew that it drove any girl crazy when he kissed every inch of the girls face, excluding her mouth.

He smiled to himself in satisfaction as he heard her moan at the back of her throat. With the sudden change in mood, she wrapped her arms around his neck, cupping her palms on both sides of his neck. He was shocked at first, but then remembered that Kathy was pretty easy to get in bed. It wouldn't be long until he'd be getting lucky every night.

The movie was coming to an end. Two-Bit knew that because when he had broke the kiss, everybody had been getting up to leave. There were mostly fancy dressed Socs and their girls that were at the Double, but the occasional greaser and his girl would come on a weekday. He got up before her, and held his hand down. "Do ya wanna head down to the Curtis'?"

She took his hand, and looked at him with suspicion. "I guess..."

They walked hand-in-hand to Two-Bit's Plymouth, which he had to get fixed soon, and he held the door open for her as she got in the car. He turned the key, waiting for the car to start. With a few more tries, it finally came to life.

"Actually...I should head back. It's late,'' she murmured.

The movie had started at nine, and it had to be ten. If not, around there. Of course she wanted to get back soon. It was a school night. "Alrighty, just tell me where I'm drivin' ya."

She told him. They drove, chatting about stupid things, like cartoons. Turns out the chick liked the Looney Tunes better then Mickey Mouse. He was surprised at that, of course, but agreed that it was alright. It also turned out that the girl lived pretty close to the Nightly Double, which baffled him. Before she was about to get out, he pulled her in for a long and passionate kiss.

He didn't miss the way her cheeks turned pink in the moonlight, as he kissed her hand. "Bye, Two-Bit."

He nodded at her, "I'll see ya tomorrow. Maybe."

She stopped dead in her tracks and looked at him, "Maybe?" he grinned at the sadness in her eyes.

"Yeah. Don't know if I'm up for goin' tomorrow, but I might."

She nodded, "Okay. See you later."

Two-Bit drove, not sure of what to think. He drove to the Curtis house, which lived a decent length away. Surely the gang would still be up and at'em at this time of night. Greasers never really went for going to bed early anyways. He pulled up beside the curb, and saw all of the lights on. He grinned to himself and hopped out of the car, slamming the door shut.

"Well, well! The owl's are still awake, I see," he exclaimed while entering the house. Anna, Katie, Darry and Ponyboy were all sitting down in the kitchen. Steve and Sodapop were playing poker in the living room. They all looked up and over to Two-Bit, who had his fists jammed in his leather jacket.

"Hey, Two-Bit," Soda grinned and continued to play poker.

Two-Bit decided to see what was up, and walked over to where they were all huddled together. Darry and Katie were having a deep, serious conversation. He noticed the giant bruise that had formed on her pretty face and was confused as to what happened. Did Darry do that?

"What's up?" he asked, straddling the chair backwards.

Anna looked to Ponyboy, and nodded. "The leader of Brumly hit Katie," Pony said slowly. Two-Bit may have been stupid, but he knew there was so much more to the story than just that.

It suddenly hit him. "Bryan Coleman?" Two-Bit had never been fond of that Bryan kid, but he had nothing against him either. Bryan was one of those hoods that would grow up to be an old hood.

Bryan was a lot like Ricky and Matt - he wouldn't get better over the years, he would get worse. It was plain fact.

"Yeah," Pony said, frowning.

Anna stayed silent and frowned. It was as if Darry and Katie hadn't even noticed his presence, as they suddenly linked hands and pressed their foreheads together. Katie's eyes were red from crying and her tears had dried up on her cheeks.

"Did I miss somethin'?" Two-Bit asked, a grin etched on his face.

Anna smiled herself, and Two-Bit couldn't help but notice when she grinned, it lit up the whole room. He shook his head mentally.

Anna and Two-Bit stared at each other for a moment, a silent message passing through them. Anna signaled over to Darry and Katie, who still had their eyes closed, then looked back at Two-Bit.

"Ah..." he said out loud. So Katie and Darry were going out. Two-Bit had somehow seen it coming at one point or another. Hard working Katie Mercer, who was turning twenty soon, was somehow destined to be with hard working Darry Curtis, who was already twenty. Saying they were 'going out' didn't feel right. They were both far to mature for that.

Anna snapped her fingers, and soundlessly told Two-Bit to follow her outside. They both walked out the Curtis' front door, and slammed the big door and the screen door behind them. They walked down on the grass and sat down.

"Apparently," she began, "From what Katie told me, she had been tryna tell Bryan she didn't wanna go with him to the dance anymore. Pretty much tellin' him she had a 'thing'," — she made air quotes around _thing_, — "for Darry."

Not something you're supposed to tell Bryan Coleman, he thought.

"...and Bryan took it upon himself to hit her," she continued.

"That all makes sense," he nodded slowly, keeping his eyes fixated on the dark grass.

"Where were you all night?" she asked quietly, biting her lip and looking down at the dry, short grass.

"Been at home, than went on a date with Kathy," he leaned back on his hands, "You?"

She chuckled, "At home. I finished my essay, finally."

He laughed himself, "Oh yeah? Good for you, kid."

He looked at her closely, and couldn't help but realise Anna was heartbreakingly beautiful. Kathy was damn cute, and so was Katie. But Anna was beautiful, that was the only right word to describe her. She had presence, and integrity. Something Katie didn't have. He smacked himself upside the head for thinking the way he was. He had a girlfriend - technically - and Anna was his best girl friend.

"So you excited `bout Friday?" he asked, deciding to try and distract himself from thinking.

She pursed her lips and thought for a moment, "Yeah...I guess...I don't really know anymore. Ricky doesn't talk to me much at all."

"What a bastard," Two-Bit blurted, but said mostly to himself.

Anna smirked at him. Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, "Keith Mathews, are you _jealous_?"

Two-Bit snapped his neck up and cocked an eyebrow. "Huh?" he was taken off guard.

There went everybody thinking he was jealous again.

She couldn't wipe the smile off of her face, "Soda told me that you didn't want me goin' with Ricky. To the dance."

"He did?" Two-Bit was confused. Soda wasn't one to just blurt out that sort of stuff.

"Well, not exactly," she admitted, her smile starting to decrease. "But I kinda manipulated him into sayin' it."

"Really ..." Two-Bit trailed off, and glanced up at her. Though her grin had lightened a bit, she was still smiling like a fool.

"So, are ya jealous?" she asked quietly, her dirty blonde curls beginning to twirl by the light April wind.

"No, why would I be jealous? Ain't none-a my business who ya go with," he said, trying not to grin.

By the look on Anna's face, he knew that even lying wouldn't get himself out of the position he was in now. He wondered just how much she knew.

* * *

_Every once in a while, people step up, they rise above themselves. Sometimes they surprise you, and sometimes they fall short. Life is funny sometimes, it can push pretty hard, but if you look close enough you find hope in the words of children, in the bars of a song, and in the eyes of someone you love. And if you're lucky, the luckiest person on this entire planet, the person you love, decides to love you back._

**A/N:** I'm a bit iffy on this chapter. I have noticed a few typo's in the past chapters, and I will be fixing them soon. Only mild changes will be made, nothing big. Review if you're reading, please :)


	5. If Only You Were Lonely

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Outsiders_ by S.E Hinton, nor do I own the album "If Only You Were Lonely" by Hawthorne Heights, released February 28th, 2006.

**A/N 1:** Sorry the last chapter was so short. Mild changes have been made to chapters one and two.

* * *

**Thursday, April 5th, 1967**

So Two-Bit Mathews was jealous. Anna wasn't sure if she should be happy about that. Or even confused.

_"He didn't want ya goin' with Ricky," Soda said while drinking a water bottle._

_"Oh?" Anna cocked an eyebrow slowly._

Anna doubted that Ricky would even commit to going with her. After hearing about what had happened with Katie and Bryan Coleman, she no longer wanted to go with Ricky. She wanted to go with her friends with no date at all. Sodapop told her about Two-Bit wanting her to go with Soda himself. And ever since then, she had seriously considered it.

Sodapop had today off of work, and Anna decided she didn't want to stay at home all day. Soda looked over at her. "So are you goin' with Ricky?" he asked.

Anna furrowed her brow. "Why?"

He laughed. "Just wonderin'. Do you know how lame it'd be to go stag?"

"Oh yeah, especially a catch like you," she winked and punched his shoulder playfully.

He chuckled, and started stirring the soup they had been making. He dropped in the bits of carrots that Anna had cut up, then added the other bits of vegetables she had insisted on adding.

Soda waved away the steam that blew up, and coughed dramatically. "I don't know what's so appealing `bout cooking," he said as he stepped away from the pot.

Anna rolled her eyes and took over the stirring. "Well I don't know what's so appealing about fixin' cars," she challenged.

"Hey, play nice. Cars and cookin' are two totally different things," he gave her a look.

Anna shook her head, and brought the spoon up to her lips. She squeezed her eyes as the soup burned her tongue, but it tasted good. "I know," she admitted. "But they are both the same."

He threw his head back and laughed. "No they ain't. Fixin' cars is a man thing, and cookin' is a girls thing."

"Soda..." she looked at him, and placed a hand on her waist with an eyebrow arched up. "If I recall, _you_ cook sometimes, don't you?"

He stared at her, and chuckled. Suddenly an oven mitt came at her face, but she blocked it out just in time. "Shut up." he grinned.

Anna laughed, and started to serve the soup. "But about your question, I ain't goin' with Ricky." Why would she want too? Ricky was nothing but a no good hood, and if her friends didn't approve of him taking her, then she didn't trust his intentions. It just took her a few days for her heart's knowledge to catch up with her head's knowledge.

"So you'll go with me?" Soda put a hand over his heart and shook his head. "I'm so happy."

She looked for the oven mitt, then chucked it at his face. "Cut it out."

He laughed.

"Does Pony have a date?" she changed the subject.

Soda thought for a moment. "Na, I don't think so. He might. Told me somethin' `bout him askin' a girl today."

"I think I know what girl, he told me about her."

Soda grinned and wagged his eyebrows. He got up, grabbed her bowl of soup, and began slurping it down.

"Soda!" she shrieked, slapping his shoulder. "Stop! Get you're own!"

He started walking around the living room, the soup bowl still in his hands. "You get you're own, Miss Priss."

"That _is_ mine," she insisted, closing her fist in the air as he spun in a different direction.

She decided to just give up, and sit on the coach. "You suck."

He drank the rest of the soup and set it down on the table, the spoon clashing on the side. "Thanks."

She grinned sheepishly. "Whatever."

"Oh hey, I forgot to tell you," he sat down beside her on the coach and propped his feet on the small rectangle table. "That car a'yers - Stevie and me washed it. It's red, looks like a Soc car."

Her eyes glittered as she smiled. "Really? Is it a Mustang?"

He nodded. "Yep. It'll look brand new when we fix the interior and what not."

"Interior?" she tilted her head slightly, feeling like the stereotype of a dumb blonde.

"Like the uh...furniture or whatever that's inside of it," he said, nodding to himself.

Anna grinned and crossed her legs. She looked over at the door, where Two-Bit came in with Darry and Katie behind him. Two-Bit sat beside her on the coach, and let his arm drop on her shoulders. Anna found her heart beating unbearbly fast. She suddenly wondered why her hands started to feel sweaty. She rubbed them together, trying to get rid of her sudden nervousness, and instead she looked away from Two-Bit.

"What's her deal?" she heard Two-Bit mutter to Soda, who looked at Anna with an expression she couldn't read.

XXXXX

Two-Bit had no clue why Anna was acting so weird. She was fine, acting normal and what not, until now. She couldn't look at him in the eye, and when he had put his arm around her, she looked as if she ate some bad shrimp or something. Was she mad at him? She couldn't be, could she? He hadn't done anything, as far as he knew. Katie and Darry were off in their own little world, like they always were when together. They made a perfect couple, in Two-Bit's opinion.

Anna got up to leave with her sister, obviously uncomfortable in Two-Bit's presence, and walked out of the house. Two-Bit walked over to the fridge and pulled out a beer. He grabbed a plate of cake, and kept on walking.

Soda looked over at Two-Bit with a grin. Darry walked into his room with a frown on his face. Whatever had been happening between him and Katie was obviously interesting. Interesting enough, at least. As he glanced over at Soda again, he yet again had a huge smile etched on his face.

Two-Bit stopped mid-way from eating his cake, confused as to what the hell he was grinning at.

"Real smooth," Sodapop said. He got up to go to the fridge, and took a swig of milk. Two-Bit felt stupid staring at Soda the way he was, but he couldn't help it. Soda looked as if he had just won the lottery.

"What do you mean _real smooth_," Two-Bit demanded.

"She liiikes you," Soda chanted and punched Two-Bit's shoulder.

Two-Bit stopped. His heart stopped, his pulse stopped, and his brain stopped. His best friend for nearly five years liked him. He should've seen that coming - it's how a lot of long lasting friendships ended. "How do you figure?"

"It's obvious, man."

Two-Bit tried to think of how exactly it was obvious. All those times they hung out together, had she been expecting more? All those times he told her about the girls he'd dated, slept with, and kissed...had he been hurting her inside? Everything they've ever done together was a lie. Their friendship was a lie. Maybe Soda didn't know what he was saying. He was so used to having all of those girls flirting with him, he didn't know when a girl actually liked him. What did Soda know anyways?

"She doesn't like me," Two-Bit said tiredly. He dumped the rest of the cake in his mouth and chewed.

"How do you figure she don't?" he challenged, cocking an eyebrow.

"Uh..." Two-Bit stuttered. As it got awkwardly silent, he coughed.

"Exactly," Soda said, cock-sure that Anna liked Two-Bit. But she didn't. That was impossible.

"You're in denial right now," Soda said, sipping more chocolate milk. He propped his feet up on the table and sighed in happiness.

Two-Bit didn't mind if his best friend liked him. But the thing was, he didn't like her back. She was really the only girl he truly cared about. And he really, really liked Kathy. Anna was beautiful, fragile, and precious ... but she was also his best friend. If they dated, and it didn't end well, then what would happen? Would they not talk anymore? Would they not hangout anymore? God, girl's could be damn complicated.

"I'm goin' out with Kathy," Two-Bit finished. With any other girl, maybe Two-Bit would have considered dating her and dumping Kathy. But the feelings he had suppressed toward Anna were to strong to risk. They were best friends, not a couple. They wouldn't be. They couldn't be. It just wouldn't work - in his mind, at least.

"At least dance with her at the prom. She may not realise she likes you, but man ... she does," he acknowledged.

"Right, with my girlfriend there," he stated, not wanting to give in. Two-Bit was never one to like arguing, but if the subject was about someone he cared about, then he'd argue with the president.

"Besides, ain't you goin' with her?" Two-Bit added.

"Yeah. But she's my friend, and she's only goin' with me `cause _you_ don't want her goin' with Ricky." he raised both eyebrows and smirked. "She told me she ain't goin' with him anymore."

"Oh," Two-Bit sighed, deciding to give up. He didn't like Anna. He couldn't like Anna. She was forbidden. Right?

XXXXX

"Just tell him you like him!" Evie shouted at Anna, throwing her hands up in the air. Anna sighed yet again, and shut her eyes.

"I _don't_ like him," she said for the millionth time. Though she knew denying it at this point would do her no good, she was really beginning to accept it. Of course at first she had been in denial about it, but she was starting to realise it by all of the points Evie had been giving her in the past hour.

Evie stared at her. "You do. Everyone knows it, but you and him. I'm gonna make y'all dance tomorrow."

It all seemed to unreal for Anna. She had never thought of Two-Bit more then a brother. Okay, that was a lie. She had thought of him as her boyfriend on multiple occasions, but it was nothing she had seriously considered. He didn't seem like the commitment type anyways. He was all about playing the game. What would Ricky think if he saw her dancing with Two-Bit? She hoped to hell she wouldn't cause beef between the two.

"Okay," Anna sighed in defeat, holding her head between her hands. "But he likes Kathy, and my sister! And Evie," Anna pointed to her head. "I ain't blonde."

"You're dirty blonde, which _is_ blonde." Evie said, then pointed to her own brown-black hair. "_I'm_ not blonde. And he's your best friend, he'll understand."

"No," Anna frowned. "He won't."

"Yes..." Evie smiled and gave Anna a gentle shake. "He will."

All along, maybe Anna had misinterpreted his body language. But maybe she didn't? Anna knew for a fact that Two-Bit and her were destined to be friends forever. Nothing more, excluding being brother and sister. They couldn't be. Anna just couldn't help herself. She wanted him, and she needed him. The feelings she had developed for him had happened in such a rush - she didn't know how to handle them.

"I'll tell him," she paused. "Eventually."

Anna knew that if she waited to tell him how she felt, it would be to late. She knew that it was to late now, considering the fact that he had a girlfriend, but that doesn't mean she has to lie about it any longer. She liked Two-Bit a lot, now that she thought of him in 'that way'. His humour, his good looks, and the way he made everything feel like it was going to be alright. If they did work out ... they would be a pretty good couple. In her eyes, at least. That was the positive side.

But Anna couldn't ignore the negative side. If things didn't work, she couldn't even begin to imagine how awkward things would be. They wouldn't be able to joke around anymore. They would lose their friendship forever.

God, love was fucking irritating.

"But," Anna added, cutting off whatever Evie was about to say. "What if things don't work out? You and Steve weren't best friends when you first started to -"

"Anna!" Evie sighed. "Stop thinking of what could go wrong. Try thinking about what could go right," Evie was softly.

How could she think of what was going to go right? First, he had a girlfriend. Second, he couldn't commit to anything or anyone. Third, he had more of an interest in her own sister. Fourth, he was her best friend and has been for five years. Fifth...._oh lord_, she thought, _I really need to take a break from worryin' so much_.

"Alright," Anna pursed her lips and got up. She hoped Evie would just drop the subject. "You'll be at the dance tomorrow at 6:30?"

"Yeah," Evie nodded. "i'll go to your house at lunch so we can get ready?"

Anna looked at Evie to nod, but stopped as Evie grinned foolishly at her. "What?"

"...and you better bet yer bottom dollar that I'm gonna talk to Two-Bit."

Anna decided not to say anything that would cause an argument between the two. She walked out of Evie's house, and down to Steve's house. She needed someone to talk to, without being accused Anna of liking her damn bestfriend. If anyone could help her, it would be Steve. She knocked on the door, and when he didn't answer, she pounded her fist.

"Anna?" Steve looked surprised. He looked around him, then shut the door. He sat on the porch railing and looked at her. "Whaddya doin' here?"

"Do you think I like Two-Bit?" she blurted. Her mouth had opened and the words had poured out before she could even think about what she was saying. She smacked herself in the face mentally for sounding like a third grader.

Steve crossed his arms and narrowed his gaze on her. "Where the hell did that come from?"

She shuffled her feet and looked for something to lean on. "Well people have been sayin' shit `bout it."

"People like...?" he slowly raised a brow.

"Sodapop and Evie," she answered, immediately regretting it. She knew ratting out and asking _Steve_, her little girl crush, was damn pathetic. But she couldn't help it. Steve was opinionated, and he wouldn't spare her feelings with his answer. She didn't yet know if that was a good thing or not.

He let out a breath. "Why you askin' that?"

"W-what do ya mean?" she asked, quietly.

"I mean, ya never asked about him before. So what's with the sudden interest?"

"I don't have an interest in him!" she yelled, groaning in frustration and began pacing. "Why does everyone think that?!"

He smirked at her. "There's your answer."

She stared at him for a second. "God dammit, Steve, if I wasn't so confused I would slug you right now."

He took a smoke out of his jacket pocket and put it between his lips, then lit it up. Anna watched in frustration. "Ya just admitted you liked him."

She tried not to hit him in the face. The infamous smirk that he was giving her made her want to wipe it off his face. She jammed her fists in her jacket, then leaned against the brick wall of his house. She sighed and let her temper calm down a bit.

"Why?" she asked, not exactly sure of what she was asking for.

Though her eyes were closed, she knew he was looking at her. "Why what?"

She opened her eyes slowly, and sank down. She let her legs out infront of her, and stared at the ground. "Two-Bit."

"I don't fuckin' know what your talkin' about, Anna," red-eyed Steve snapped.

For some reason, Anna didn't know why she wasn't fighting back. She usually lost her temper so easily with Steve, but she couldn't find it in herself to yell at him. Today had been such a rough day, and Anna was positive that it was only about four o'clock. The past few years without liking her best friend had been nice, really nice, but now she didn't ever want to see him again. She wanted her feelings to go away...but she would see him tomorrow. And, Evie would be talking to him. What the hell would she say? _You're best friend loves you_. Oh, please, no, she thought.

"Nevermind," she murmured.

"You wanna head down to DX and work on that fancy car to get yer mind offa things?" he asked, jumping off the railing and onto his front lawn.

Anna's mood brightened in a second. "Yeah."

She followed Steve onto the sidewalk, and yet again had her fists stuffed in her coat pocket. "So I heard you and Soda washed my car." she commented, looking straight ahead.

Steve gave her a side-ways glance. "Yeah. Tuff lookin', too. You gonna test it out soon?"

Anna shook her head. "Na."

"What?" Steve was obviously taken back. "Then why are we fixin' it?"

Anna could feel Steve's anger radiating off of him, she knew because she had a sudden urge to step aside from him. "I have to get my license first."

He shrugged. "Why? Ain't Soda teachin' you how to drive?"

She laughed at the irony. "No, I already asked though."

"Then why don't you ask someone else to teach ya? Them driving teachers don't know anything `bout cars."

Steve could drive pretty much anything on wheels.

"Who else is there?" she asked, looking at him.

"Me, Two-Bit, Tim..." he began listing a bunch of hoods, some in which Anna had never even heard of, but her heart stopped when he said Two-Bit's name. Did he already forget about what was wrong? Anna had no idea how Evie put up with Steve, it was a mystery alright.

DX was a few metres away, but it was close enough to see Soda and Two-Bit there, chatting away. Two-Bit had his arm around Kathy's waist, and was laughing and drinking.

Anna felt Steve look at her, but she did her best to look forward, confidently. Looks like Two-Bit was crazy about Kathy.

"Hey, Anna," Soda said, looking at Two-Bit. He turned around in surprise and snapped his open mouth shut. Anna couldn't make out what expression was on his face; but whatever it was, it made her want to bawl. But she couldn't bawl _right now_. She had to show Two-Bit that she could be a tough, hard neck chick just like Kathy seemed to be. Anna pulled her hair forward so it rested on her shoulders, an unbuttoned a button on her blouse.

"Hey," Two-Bit said in a kind tone.

"Anna ... right? You're Katie's sister?" Kathy asked, casually pushing Two-Bit's arm off of her waist. But he kept it securely there, as if he didn't want it to move. Anna's blue eyes flickered around all over the place. She couldn't bear to look at them.

"Yeah, I am," she said to Kathy. Her eyes finally rested on her car, which looked real tuff. Just like Steve said it did. Any other time and she would have been jumping out of her socks to go and run to it ... but she couldn't move. She could hardly breath.

"You okay?" Soda whispered to her, so that only she heard.

Anna blinked a few times, trying to shield herself from showing any emotion other then happiness. "I'm fine," she insisted. But as she looked forward, she knew she wasn't.

She looked up at Two-Bit and Kathy, who were lip locking right infront of her. Anna felt as if someone had just kicked her in the stomach. She began feeling nauseous, and couldn't breath. It wasn't until she felt fingerprints indent into her arm did she realise that Soda had grabbed her. Before she knew it, she was behind the building of DX, so nobody could see her.

She clenched her fists together, wanting to desperately hit something. But instead she smacked her back on the wall and shut her eyes. She knew the tears would fall if she spoke, so she kept her throat shut.

Soda pulled her off the wall, and into a big hug. "It's gonna be okay, Anna," he said softly. Her arms were tightly wrapped around his neck, and she buried her face into his shoulder.

"God, what am I gonna do?" she sobbed tearlessly.

He didn't say anything. He just stroked her hair and held her in his arms. Anna wasn't crying, and she certainly wasn't about to start either, but she couldn't go back there.

"You know," Soda said softly while letting her go. "Two-Bit ain't the best choice for a serious relationship."

"I know," Anna said, her voice feeling thick, empty and emotionless. "I guess I just can't help it."

And she really couldn't. How she felt about her best friend was definitely not her fault.

"Wanna drive home?" he asked.

Anna had wanted to stay and work on her car, but she couldn't be around with the picture in her mind of Two-Bit and his girlfriend making out. "Please."

She walked with Soda's arm around her to the car, and didn't look up when Two-Bit called her name. She had a nasty feeling in her stomach that things would never be the same between them.

Soda drove her home, and kept his arm around her the whole time. As he parked out infront of her house, they sat for a moment. She stared at the dashboard. She couldn't feel her legs. "If you need anythin', come on over tonight, alright? The door'll be open."

She smiled at how generous Soda was being toward her. She know knew what attracted girls toward him so much. She didn't like him like that, he wasn't really her type, but she was so thankful he was being kind and polite about the situation. "Thanks, Pepsi-Cola."

"No problem, Anna-Banana."

Smiling through her silent tears, she opened the door, got out, and shut the door. She slowly walked around the car into her house. Katie was sleeping on the coach. She walked past Dan and her mother, who were making dinner in the kitchen, and went straight up to her room. She shut the door slowly and quietly, and walked to her small bed.

She snuggled close to all of the blankets that were on her bed. She sniffed back a few tears that she could feel coming, but kept her cool. She had no reason to cry. Not yet, anyways. She figured Two-Bit didnt know about her liking him. If he did know, he wouldn't have kissed Kathy infront of her. But then again, Two-Bit was a very unpredictable person at times. Anna sighed and shut her eyes, deciding that going to be early would bed a good idea.

* * *

_Sometimes I wonder if anything is absolute anymore. Is there still right and wrong? Good and bad? Truth and lies? Or is everything negotiable, left to interpretation, grey. Sometimes we're forced to bend the truth, transform it, cause we're faced with things that are not of our own making. And sometimes things simply catch up to us._

**A/N 2:** Review please :) I'm kinda excited to write the next chapter ... so many ideas, and there will be some pretty cliche but cute moments in it! Four days until Christmas, yay!! :D


	6. All The Right Reasons

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Outsiders_ by S.E Hinton, nor do I own the album "All The Right Reasons" by Nickelback, released October 4th, 2005.

**A/N 1:** This chapter is pretty long and interesting, in my opinion at least.

* * *

**Friday, April 6th, 1967**

Today was the day. Today was the day that Anna had been dreading the whole week. She had woke up pretty early this morning - and it made her a little mad because she had no where important to be. She wasn't really in the mood to go fix her car either. She just wanted to sit around and weep about yesterday. Though that would solve no problems, it seemed to be the only thing she could think of.

She pulled her hair in a lose bun, and went downstairs with a thin blanket on her shoulders. She sat on the coach, and pulled out her dress from the bag it was in. It was beautiful, and her mother had been right, it was the exact same color as her eyes. She stroked her fingers on the fabric and bit her lip. It sure was a pretty dress, and she was sure her mother had spent a fortune on it. Anna wanted to throw it on at that very moment, but decided to wait until Evie came to get ready.

Ten hours. There was ten hours left until the dance started. God, was she nervous. In a matter of one long week, she had been asked by Ricky, then ended up ditching him. She had been sure that _he_ was going to be the one ditching _her_. She doubted that he would care. For all she knew, he had forgotton all about her. And for some reason, that didn't make Anna feel to good about herself.

She was worried about Katie. Was she going to the dance? How were her and Darry doing? Had she resolved the issue with Bryan Coleman yet? Anna felt so out of touch with her sister that it made her upset Ever since all of this love shit started, she has been out of touch with her whole family. Though she was a lot closer to Sodapop and Steve now, it still didn't feel right. Her five year friendship with Two-Bit Mathews had been wrecked, and it was all of her fault. Actually, she was clueless as to whose fault it was. They hardly fought among themselves, but they have definitely had their fair share of hissy fits.

_"What the hell did you do that for?" Anna yelled at Two-Bit, who had his knuckles bloody from being in a fight._

_He held up his fist to his face. "Aw, it ain't that bad, Anna."_

_"You scared off my date!" she shrieked and crossed her arms like a baby._

That had been when she was fourteen and he was sixteen. She had planned on going on a date with a boy, that Two-Bit had obviously not approved of, and took it upon himself to beat the living tar out of him. Come to think of it, Two-Bit never approved of _any_ of the boys Anna liked or dated. Because of that, for the past few years she hadn't had much experience with boys. He hadn't been her first kiss, unlike most best friends. The farthest they have ever gotten together was holding hands, and hell, they she had only been eleven years old - when they first became friends. Of course Two-Bit had been thirteen and knowing exactly what he was doing, but it was in strictly in a friendly matter. It was always in a friendly matter, and she found that hardly fair.

She figured the only way to get Two-Bit to want her, was to act like most greaser girls did. She ran her fingers across the dress, sighed, and put it back in the bag.

She looked at the clock and saw that it was only eight fifteen. She came to the conclusion that pampering herself for tonight was a good idea.

She dropped the blanket that had been around her shoulders, and walked upstairs to get a change of clothes. She picked out a blue blouse, and the shortest mini skirt that she owned. She walked to the bathroom, not bothering to close the door, and set her clothes on the counter. She started the bath water, and ran her hand under it just to make sure it was a decent temperature.

She stripped off her used clothes, and hopped in the shower. The hot water dripped on her aching body and through her messy hair. She shut her eyes and let the water run down her back. As the water sank into the drain, she let her worries go with it.

XXXXX

Two-Bit sat on one of the bar stools at Buck's, and took a long sip of his beer. For the past week he had been skipping out on school a lot. Not that he didn't want to go, not because he didn't feel like it, but because he couldn't force himself to go. Instead, he would just skip everyday like it was summer vacation. God, he wished it was summer already. He brought the beer up the his lips and gulped it down greedily.

"I ain't never seen you drink so damn much," a voice beside him said. He looked over and spotted Tim Shepard giving him a look of death.

"Whaddya want, Shepard?" he asked tiredly, really not in the mood for kidding around. He hadn't been in the mood for kidding around in a long time. After his few week depression about Dally and Johnny dying, he had been back to his old self. But now that him and his best friend had been fighting, if you could even call it that, he felt abnormal again. Like there was nobody to kid around with, or nobody to cause trouble with. Anna had always been his partner in crime, but things had changed. And not in a good way.

"Just got outta the cooler and lookin' for some fun," he shrugged and ordered a beer. He sipped down his beer, not as quicky as Two-Bit had, and breathed out as he seperated the beer from his lips. Two-Bit tried not to make a face at Tim.

"Good behavior?" Two-Bit tried to joke. He hated that he had been changing so much lately. It wasn't fair at all. Nobody else changed after Dally and Johnny - only him. Maybe they had changed, maybe they hadn't. He knew for a fact that Ponyboy had changed.

_"Ponyboy, listen, don't get tough. You're not like the rest of us and don't try to be..."_

_Ponyboy gave Two-Bit a look. Two-Bit knew as well as Pony that if you're tough you can't get hurt. Get smart and nothing can touch you._

_"What in the world are you doing?" Two-Bit asked Ponyboy, who was picking up the glass he had shattered._

_He looked up at Two-Bit. "Picking up the glass."_

_Two-Bit stared at him for a second, then grinned. "You little sonofagun," he said in a relieved voice._

Two-Bit remembered that day as if it were yesterday. He remembered a lot of days, and a lot of things. Despite what anyone said, he knew he was smart. Maybe not school smart, but he knew he was smart. Johnny and Dally's death had really taken it's toll on the way Two-Bit lived. Without Johnny, Two-Bit had nobody to protect or look after. Without Dally, Two-Bit had nobody to piss off and cause trouble with. He had Anna ... well, he used too. He knew that, right before his eyes, they were drifting apart. In a matter of only a day too.

"Man what's got you so fuckin' concentrated?" Tim broke into his thoughts.

Two-Bit hadn't noticed, but he was staring at the counter with a beer in his hand. He lifted it to his mouth. "Nothin', man. Just thinkin' about tonight."

Tim grinned. "Ya think your gettin' lucky with James' sister?"

Two-Bit did his best to force a grin on his face, which was half real and half fake. "Maybe."

Two-Bit watched as Tim got up to leave with his beer, obviously bored that Two-Bit wasn't drunk yet. But Two-Bit had wanted to stay sober today. He didn't want to go around and act like a fuck up anymore. But he knew at eighteen it was a little late for that. He wanted to change - but not change his old ways. He still wanted to wise crack, and cause trouble. He knew that he would never want to grow up - but he wanted to take _some_ responsibility for his actions.

He sighed and groaned, hating himself for having so many deep thoughts. If any of the greasers in town had found out what Two-Bit was thinking about, they would think he was soused. Two-Bit drank more beer and set it down on the counter. He spun around on the chair and hopped off, heading for the door. Maybe Buck's wasn't the best place to think. He walked toward his car, which was parked far from the other cars, and got in.

_Two-Bit watched in the window as three Socs got out of the car and surrounded Ponyboy. He quit talking to the girls, and nudged Steve._

_"Should we go help him?" Steve asked, as they turned their backs on the girls. They watched as Ponyboy busted the end of a bottle and held it out infront of him, just like Tim Shepard held a switch. Two-Bit had guessed that they were afraid, because they filed back in their car and drove off._

_"You really would have used that bottle, wouldn't you?" he shouted to Pony, who turned around. "Steve and me were backing you, but I guess we didn't need to. You'd have really cut them up, huh?"_

"_I guess so," he said with a sigh. Two-Bit could see in Pony's eyes that he looked emotionless. Not scared, mad, or anything. Just zero. Two-Bit knew that he wouldn't have thought twice about busting the pop bottle._

Two-Bit angrily jerked the car forward and kept his eyes straight. He had to talk to someone. He knew if he started talking to Steve about his feelings, then Steve would think he was all git out or something. Soda was a bad choice ... he didn't know why, but it would just be awkward for two greaser guys to be having a heart-to-heart conversation. He knew one person who would understand. One person who would feel the same way.

As he stopped infront of her house, he thought about turning back. But the more he ran from her, the more they would continue to drift. Knowing her door was already open, he turned the knob and looked around. The house was empty.

He started to walk around, hoping that she would be here. She had to be. She just had too. He heard the sound of water running, and turned to try and figure out where the sound was coming from. As he walked up the stairs, and walked in the direction of the bathroom. The door was open.

He stepped a bit in the doorway and knocked on the door with his two fingers. "Anna?" he called, hoping to hell it was her. He didn't back away or even flinch when he had went into the bathroom. It wasn't like it was anything new to him.

She heard her stop humming, and stuck her head out of the shower. Her hair was drenched and her eyes were beat red. How long had she been in there for?

"Two-Bit..." she trailed off, and stared at him. She shook her head, "Go downstairs. I'll be down in a second."

"Alright. Mind if I have a beer?" he called back, exiting the bathroom.

"Go ahead!" he heard her faintly shout back.

He nodded to himself and started down the stairs. He heard the running of the water stop, as he sat down on the coach. He lifted the floor board up and got a beer from the secret stash he had made in her house. Still feeling stone cold sober, he lifted the bottle to his mouth and chugged it like there was no tomorrow.

XXXXX

Anna quickly changed into her clothes, with the towel still wrapped around her hair. She quickly gave her hair a quick flip and applied a quick layer of make-up. Why was Two-Bit at her house? When she had looked at him, he didn't look like anyone. He just looked plain, and the only time Anna had seen him look that plain, was the day he told her Dally and Johnny had died. That was probably one of the most upsetting days she had ever experienced in her sixteen years. Being told your two friends had died the same night, by your best friend, wasn't exactly smile-worthy. She pushed the thought of Johnny and Dallas behind her, and walked downstairs. Before he could see her, she stopped dead in her tracks. What was she doing? Why was she feeling so confident about going down?

Pushing herself forward, she got off the last step and walked in the living room. They had quite a few things to talk about, and it was only about nine or nine thirty in the morning. Anna wondered if Two-Bit had skipped out on school, or just skipped out on second period...

She sat beside him on the coach, and looked at the open floorboard in her floor. She reached forward and grabbed a beer, popping the cap off, and washing it down her throat. God, she needed a drink. For whatever they were about to talk about was bound to be serious, and she didn't want to be sober while they were talking about it either. It definitely didn't take a lot for Anna to get soused.

"_Here, try some," Two-Bit pushed a beer in her direction._

_She picked it up hesitantly and bit her lip. "Is it good?"_

_He nodded and drank down a bit of his own. "Really good. Come on, Anna, try it!"_

"_Okay..." she said, clutching the beer with her palms._

That had been the first time she drank beer. She had been fifteen, and Two-Bit had been seventeen, which wasn't to long ago now that she thought of it.

"So..." she said, feeling the beer kick in. She wasn't sure if she was getting nervous because of what she would say when being drunk, or because Two-Bit was in her house alone with her. Maybe it was both.

"I..." he began, but didn't finish. She knew that he was never one for big speeches, but now, she really wanted him to spill how he was really feeling. About everything.

"Can I ask you something?" she took a smaller sip of beer, and swallowed it slowly. She shut her eyes at the taste, but then opened them again.

"Sure," he nodded. As she looked at him, he looked a million miles away. Like he was off in his own world. Anna wished desperately that she could be like that sometimes. Just stare at one thing and be off in another world.

"How do you feel about everything that has happened?" she leaned back in the coach, letting her body sink. She held the cold beer between her legs, and folded her arms across her chest.

"Define everything," he muttered, sipping more beer. He looked over at her and waited for an answer.

As his grey eyes looked at her, she hurriedly glanced away and looked at the blank TV. "You know, Johnny and Dally."

Anna knew bringing up Dally and Johnny would be a stupid thing to do - but she had too. In her five years of knowing Two-Bit Mathews, they had only been in a deep, meaningful conversation a total of maybe three times. This time being the fourth.

"_I admire you," Anna said, pumping her legs to go faster on the swing._

_Two-Bit coolly leaned on the pole that the swing was being held up by. He took a drag of his cigarette. "For what?"_

"_You know," she stared forward and bit her lip, ready to jump off the swing at any moment. "Being able to make jokes and ignore reality."_

"_Just `cause I make jokes, doesn't mean I ignore reality." he said defensively._

That memory had randomly came into her head. That had been a good few days after Johnny and Dally died, when Two-Bit had still been rattled up about the entire thing. He was a lot better now, but at that memory, he had been rock hard. Like a clone of Dally or something.

"I don't know, I mean, I miss them a lot," he admitted, looking over at her. "Do you?"

The way Anna and Two-Bit were talking to eachother, it felt awkward. "Yeah I do. I mean I didn't know them as well as you did, but I knew 'em well enough."

He nodded. "Yeah, you did."

They were silent for a moment. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, looking down at her open and still full beer.  
"For what?" he asked, setting the empty beer on the table and grabbing for another one.

She shrugged. "Everything."

XXXXX

"Alright," Evie said. "Come out of the bathroom, I wanna see that dress."

Anna looked at herself in the mirror, and sprayed some glitter into her hair. The ringlettes bounced as she walked out of the bathroom and twirled infront of Evie. Evie had her hair pinned up in a beautiful bun, and her dress was perfect. It was black, and fitted her body perfectly. Evie set down the mascara that she had been holding in her hand, and grinned at Anna.

"Wow," was all she said. The blue dress fitted Anna as well as the black one fitted Evie. Yet again, Anna ran her hands down the dress. It is made of silk organza over silk taffeta and was lined in China silk. She smiled down at the dress.

"Do you like it?" Anna asked, already knowing the answer.

"_So are you going to prom tonight?" Two-Bit asked, finally settling down after their long talk about everything._

"_Yeah. Are you?" Anna asked him, feeling uncomfortable about the topic._

"_Yup," he said shortly._

Anna tried to ignore that thought. She didn't want it in her head.

"Yes!" Evie squealed. Anna looked back at the clock, it read 5:30PM. The dance would be starting in a good half hour. Anna was extremely excited to go, after being convinced to go by Two-Bit.

"_Just come, it'll be lot's of fun," Two-Bit grinned._

"_Fine," she sighed alas. "But you have to go too."_

_He was still grinning like a fool. "Of course I'll go. Wouldn't miss it."_

"Okay, I think we're ready to go." Evie grinned widely, and put some finishing touches on her face. She re-did the top lid of her make up, and swirled the end out like a cats eye. She blotted on some more lipstick, then rubbed her lips together.

"Are you meeting Steve there?" Anna asked, opening the door and smiling at Evie.

Evie nodded. "Yeah. Said he needed to drive a 'shit load of people'." Evie mocked, rolling her eyes.

Anna knew that hardly any greasers took their dates _with_ them to the dance. They always just meeted them there. Two-Bit told Anna to come find him with the rest of the greasers. Tim, Soda, Steve, Curly, Angela, Ponyboy, and a few other gangs would be sticking together and most likely starting a brawl. Anna had nervously said okay, but really wanting to stay on the DL at the dance. She wanted to have a good time, and dance out every emotional feeling she had. That was one of the reasons she had convinced herself to go.

Anna jumped in shot gun of Evie's parent's car, and slammed the door shut. Unable to help herself, she grinned yet again. Her heart was pounding, but in a good way. Nothing could go wrong tonight. Nothing at all.

Evie blasted the radio in her mom's car, and the two girls began singing and giggling. Evie drove fast, swerving around the empty road. There were plenty of people in cars when they arrived at the school, but nobody had gone inside the building yet. She spotted the big group of greasers - consisting of boys and girls. As Evie parked the car, Anna took a deep breath, smiled, and got out of the car. Her and Evie walked in the warm night over to the gang, ignoring the cat calls they got from the Socs.

"Hey," Anna heard Evie say quietly to Steve. She pulled on both ends of his leather jacket, and brought his lips to hers.

"Two-Bit, hey," Anna grinned at him. She had quite a bit to drink today, hence her sudden confidence in talking to the boy she had a massive liking for. She looked around the crowd for Kathy, but couldn't find her. "Where's Kathy?"

"Sick," Two-Bit rolled his eyes.

Anna nodded and took a good look at all of the greasers that were here. Brumly, Tiber Street Tigers, River Kings, Shepards outfit, and her little gang were all here. There was a bit of a fight that began to start between Curly and one of the boys from Tigers outfit, but it settled quickly as Tim broke it up. Wasn't he supposed to be in jail? Anna looked around for any other girls, but couldn't find any. She spotted Evie, Angela Shepard, Sylvia, and a few girls that she didn't know the name of.

As she turned away, and looked over at Two-Bit, who was talking to Sodapop. "Hey Soda." Anna piped up. The boys looked over at her, as if forgetting she was there. She grinned foolishly at them.

"Anna, hey," Soda said loudly, trying to over power all of the voices. "How you feelin'?"

Anna looked at Two-Bit before answering. "Good," And she had meant it, too.

Before everybody knew it, the dance had started. People started to walk into the school gym, laughing, shoving eachother and overall having a great time. Anna walked in with Soda's arm around her, but he was off in another world talking to Two-Bit. It seemed as though they were having a serious conversation by the looks on their faces.

Arriving in the gym, Anna looked around. As she looked at the table with drinks and food, she was almost positive that the punch was about to be spiked. Tim walked over to the punch, looked around, and dumped something in it.

"Remind me to not drink any punch," she jokingly told Sodapop. He followed her eyes and laughed as Tim sneakily walked away as if nothing had happened.

"I'll be right back," Soda said, not looking at Anna. He just walked off to go talk to Steve, who had been making out with Evie in the corner of the gym. Anna awkwardly stood beside Two-Bit.

"You look pretty tonight," he said, looking her up and down.

Anna smiled brightly and tried not to squeal like a little girl. "Really? You really think so?"

He nodded. "I do. In five years I ain't never seen ya dress so classy."

"Not even when you came for my graduation?" she cocked an eyebrow, recalling the time she had graduated grade eight. Two-Bit had been in grade nine at the time, but she had invited him to come. And, being good friends, he had acquiescently accepted.

"You looked nice then," he admitted. "But now that your all grown up, ya look more..."

"Mature?" she suggested, as they walked over to the food table.

"Yeah," he grinned. "How have I changed?" he asked.

"Hmmm..." she pretended to think for a moment, before realising how easy it was to talk to Two-Bit. It was easy to be around him, just like it used to be. Maybe her little school crush on him had finally faded. Maybe it had just been a terrible phase. "You don't look more mature. But you drink and smoke more then ya used too. Oh and you swipe more useless junk."

He laughed. "Hey, come on. I gave you a compliment. Care to return one?"

She looked up for effect. "Fine. You look more mature too."

He nodded. "Thank you." he bowed.

"Sure, sure," she muttered and stupidly dumped some spiked punch into her cup. She brought it up to her lips and chugged it down. It was real good, better then straight up beer at least. As she drank all of the punch that had been in her cup, she re-filled it. Two-Bit followed her in a similar manner, but grabbing a bigger cup and dumping his cup in the bowl to get his drink.

"You're crazy," she laughed and set the now empty second cup down.

Suddenly, the crazy music had stopped. Anna and Two-Bit looked around, confused. All of the greasers had angry looks on their faces, but the girls looked happy, as did the Socs. A slow song blasted through the gym. Anna laughed as Steve stood in shock as Evie forced him to slow dance. She crossed her arms awkwardly over her chest and looked away.

"Come on," he said, leading her to the dance floor. He placed his hands on her waist. Shyly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and stepped closer to him. Like Dally would say, they were leaving no room for Jesus. They rocked back and forth slowly and in a comfortable silence. Anna rested her head against his chest, and he tightened his grip on her body. They turned slightly, but didn't move an inch away from eachother. So the little girl crush she had on him wasn't gone, and it probably wasn't going away anytime soon.

As the song was about to end, Anna looked up at Two-Bit. He looked down at her, discomposed. Without thinking, Anna tightened her grip on him and stepped up on her toes. Before she knew it, her lips crushed his. Their lips moved flawlessy together. Anna tried to take up the space that was in the middle of them, and grabbed the fabric of his shirt with her fist as he nibbled her bottom lip.

_Shit,_ the angel on Anna's shoulder said, _he has a girlfriend._

* * *

_When life comes rushing at you from out of the darkness, who will you choose to face it with? Will it be someone you trust? Will they be wise? And will their love for you help them guide you to the light? Or will they lose their way in the darkness? Will they make noble choices? Or will that person be someone untested, someone new? Life comes rushing at you from under the darkness. When it does, is there someone in your life you can count on? Someone who will watch over you when you stumble and fall? And in that moment, give you the strength to face your fears alone._

**A/N 2:** Worked extremely hard on this chapter...hope you liked it. And I hope I didn't make it to cliché. Review and tell me what you thought of it :)


	7. Thoughts Read Unspoken

**Disclaimer:** I do not own The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, nor do I own the song "With Me" by Sum 41.

**A/N 1:** Strong language and sexual content featured in this chapter. Rated T+

* * *

**Saturday, April 7th, 1967**

Shit, shit, shit.

What had she done? She fucking kissed him! That had to be the stupidest move a person could make. She kissed her best friend, and she was sure that he didn't even like her back. God, she needed a drink. It wasn't often that she went to Buck's, but hell, now was a good time to go. Especially in the position she was in.

_"You know," Anna said as the smacked Two-Bit in the head, "you can be a real idiot sometimes."_

_"Anna," he groaned and rubbed his head, "I said I was sorry."_

Anna had been around fifteen when that memory happened. Which was last year, probably around this time. But she couldn't have been sure. Of course, like he usually did, he had scared off another one of her admirer's. In result, Anna never got much attention from boys. She used to get a whole lot of it, and sometimes it even flattered her, but they were to afraid to deal with the wrath that Two-Bit put them through. Hell, if he thought their intentions weren't good, well, they got what they 'deserved'.

She walked out of her house and savoured the moonlight breeze. Looking up at the scattered stars, she sighed in anger. As soon as she had kissed Two-Bit, he had left. As far as Anna was concerned, he had probably thought she was a bad kisser. Of course she was a bad kisser - she was drunker then ever and wasn't even thinking. He probably thought she was off her nut. Maybe she had been.

She kicked a pop bottle while walking to Buck's. It was a fairly long walk, but she needed it. She had been loning some alone time in the past few days. She knew how stupid she was being for walking alone on a Saturday at nearly ten at night, but she didn't care. She really didn't give a shit about anything anymore. She had already screwed everything up, what else could she do? She knew that greaser girls hardly got jumped in Tulsa - mostly just got cat called by Socs, and sometimes even greasers. Going to Buck's was a good idea, now that she thought of it. She could get someone to buy her a drink or two, get drunk, and forget about everything for a little bit.

_"You're drunker then I ever seen ya," Anna said to Two-Bit as he stood on the table of Buck's. He sang all the wrong words to a song by Hank Williams. She laughed as he confidently began to dance._

She chuckled lightly, remembering the first time he had dragged her to that damn place. She knew that there were rooms that people often stayed in, like Dallas Winston had, but it wasn't a good quality place. She hated to admit, but even her own house was heaven compared to most greasers' house. The Socs had it fucking _made_. She had no idea why they had to act so stuck up. Buck's was the only place greasers could just get away from them. If a Soc ever showed up at Buck's alone - or even in a pack - the greasers wouldn't even think twice about jumping them.

She could hear the loud music coming from the jukebox in Buck's as she started to walk toward the door. She knew that convincing Buck to let her in wouldn't be easy, but she had never really given up to easily. On specific things anyways.

_"The only way to get Buck to listen to ya is to boss 'em around," Dally told her. He took a drag of his cigarette._

_"S'that why he listens to you?" she asked, picking at her cuticle._

_Dally nodded solemlny._

She shook the thought out of her head, and banged on the door. She would've swore that nobody heard her until Buck's head peeked out of the door. She could hear Hank Williams playing, and the female giggles coming from the place.

"Can I come in?" she asked lazily.

Buck looked at her, "How old are ya?"

She couldn't take her eyes off of the gap in between his teeth.

"Eighteen," she lied easily. Two-Bit had taught her a trick to lying, and she had used it ever since.

_"When ya lie, be sure to keep a serious face on. Don't fidget or nothin'," he told her._

_"Okay," she nodded, making a mental note._

_"Now go try 'n lie to Johnny," he jutted his chin toward Johnny._

"Alright," Buck said after a long moment. She thanked her lucky stars that he didn't ask her for ID or anything of the sort. He opened the door so that she could walk in, and once he did, she felt like puking. It smelt like cheap cologne, smoke, beer and some other stuff. She sucked in a breath of fresh air from outside and took a confident walk in.

Buck shut the door and walked back over to wherever he had been before answering the door. She look around for a familiar face, somebody old enough to buy her beer. She could lie pretty easily, but not with beer. She didn't even like beer, and she was sure that all of Tulsa knew it. She only drank beer to steady her nerves or when she wanted to look cool. The same thing went for Soda, except it was smoking he used to steady his nerves.

Spotting Tim Shepard alone, she walked over to him. She had a bit beer before she came, hence why she was acting so damn confident. She must've had more then a bit for having the gut to walk up to Tim. She sat down on the stool beside him, and he spun his to look at her.

"Well, well," he drawled, "If it ain't Anna Mercer."

She nodded at him, "Hey, Tim."

He took a sip of his beer, his eyes still on her. "What are ya doin' here? I always took ya for a Plain Jane."

She laughed, "So did I. I'm here ... just because. Bored."

"No plans on a Saturday night?" he asked in disbelief. He must've drank himself stupid. Tim just wasn't nice at all. He was acting more like Curly, she thought.

She shrugged, "Guess I don't socialize much."

That was the most truth she'd said all night.

"Well you shoulda gave me a shout out. I woulda made plans with ya," he winked.

As soon as he had winked, Anna had been one hundred percent aware of what his intentions where. If Two-Bit had been there when he did that, he would have kicked Tim to the curb. But Two-Bit wasn't there. So she was left to fend for herself. It was only then that she realised Two-Bit and her had once been so close, they were insperable. But life was shit that way. Life fucked you up right infront of your eyes.

"Wanna beer?" he asked as she didn't answer.

She nodded.

He handed her a cold beer, popping the cap off first, and watched her take a big gulp. She really had no idea why Two-Bit liked beer so damn much. For one, the stuff was disgusting and made you feel like shit in the morning. And for two, the stuff as just ... gross. There really wasn't much to say about it. Come to think of it, Two-Bit had been on her mind an awful lot tonight. And the only way he would leave, was for her to drink herself stupid. She continued to swallow the liquid that filled her mouth.

Departing the beer from her lips, she let out a huge breath. The beer had sent a nauseating feel to her stomach, but she did her best to ignore it. The last thing she wanted to do was go home to bed and start thinking about him all over again. Fuck, why did she have to kiss him?

"You drink almost half as much as Angel," he commented, taking another sip of his beer.

She smirked, feeling the stupidness in her starting to take over, "Whatever ya say, Timmy."

He glared at her, "Don't call me that."

She stood up. She was eye-to-eye with him, and he had been sitting down.

"What are you," she poked his chest, "Gonna do about it, grease?"

He stood up, suddenly towering over her. She knew what would happen if she continued to tease him the way she was. But she had nothing on her mind but forgetting about the one person who made her go crazy.

He put his hand on the small of her back. He put his hand up the back of her shirt, drawing small invisible circles on her back.

"You're sucha tease. Dressed like that, actin' like that..." he murmured in her ear.

She pushed on his chest, causing him to slightly stumble backwards. "You wanna see a tease?"

She was definitely drunk.

When he didn't answer, she continued, "Follow me upstairs. I'll show you a tease."

She suddenly took charge of her actions. Without physically stopping, she emotionally stopped. She thought of how idiotic she was being. Giving her virginity to Tim Shepard oughta be the stupidest decision she had ever made. But now that she had already teased him, there was no going back. She was already half way from the biggest mistake of her life. If Two-Bit found out, he would never forgive her. Never.

She knew people that had the power to forgive and forget. But not Two-Bit Mathews. He forgave, sorta shrugged it off, but he never forgot. He could still recall the time she had stood him up at the movies back when she had been thirteen and he had been fifteen. She had never forgiven herself for ditching him to hangout with Evie; but there was no going back. She had already done it, and she couldn't take it back. She desperately searched for a way out of the situation she was in now, but couldn't find any hole to crawl out of.

Tim led the way to a room, and she suddenly didn't feel drunk anymore. She felt stone cold sober. She felt plain fucking stupid.

He held the door open for her, and watched her chest as she walked past him. Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked around. As she turned around to say something, the door had shut and before she knew it, her back was pressed back on the door.

He kissed her roughly, his hands stroking every inch of her body. She tried to kiss him back, but he wasn't easy to keep up with. His kiss was much different then Two-Bit's had been. She knew he liked to do everything rough, but she had secretly hoped he would kick her out or even yell at her. The confidence she had earlier had vanished, along with her dignity.

Before she could even think for five minutes, her blouse was already off and on the floor. Still kissing her, he walked to the bed and pushed her down on it. He broke the kiss for a quick second to take his own shirt off, then crushed his lips down on hers again. She squirmed under his hard hold, his fingers digging into her arms. There would be bruises in the morning.

He unzipped her skirt, and pulled it up so it hugged her stomach. She squeezed her eyes shut tight and hoped to hell she would die right on the spot.

XXXXX

Two-Bit sat in Kathy's car, driving aimlessly around Tulsa. They had been silent most of the ride, despite Kathy's plead to talk to him. He could've swore that she was going to dump him, but when she had told him she wanted to go for a drive, he had been astonished.

Though the clothes Kathy had been wearing was a total turn on for him, he still couldn't take his mind off of Friday night. He was positive that Kathy was aware of the kiss. Anna had kissed him infront of everyone, and he was sure that everyone had watched him kiss her back. It wasn't his fault that she had kissed him. Or so that's what he liked to think, at least. Steve had told him that it _was_ his fault. He had claimed that he 'lead her on'. Two-Bit begged to differ.

Two-Bit had slow danced with Anna plenty of times, in a friendly way. At her grade eight graduation, at her first high school dance, at Buck's ... but it had never ended the way last night did. It never ended with him angry, confused and happy all at the same time. He was angry because he really liked Kathy. She made him want to go crazy, and in his eyes, she was perfect. She had a perfect body, blonde and was overall just sexy to him. But he cared so much for Anna that it baffled him. She was beautiful, with a natural personality.

He turned the wheel of the car, and pulled into the lot. He figured the only way to get Anna off of his mind temporarily was to talk to Kathy.

"What did ya wanna talk about?" he asked, putting the car in park and leaning in the driver's seat.

She stayed silent.

"Kathy?" he gave her a side-glance, hoping to hell she hadn't passed out. Much to his relief, she was wide awake. But her gaze was focused on the window beside her, and all he could see was the back of her pretty blonde hair.

"Hey," he said gently, reaching out to touch her arm. She shyed away from it, but blinked out of her gaze and looked at him.

"Did you kiss her back?" she demanded. He searched her eyes for any hint of an emotion. But she just looked blank. Anna's eyes gave away her emotion. Maybe that's why he could read her so easy.

"I was drunk," he said immediately.

He had been partially drunk. But not drunk enough that he didn't know what was going on. He remembered every damn detail of last night.

Kathy just nodded and looked down, "I was sick for one night. _One_ night, and you go to kiss another girl."

Anna wasn't just _another_ girl in his eyes. She was a smart, talented, beautiful girl who had a bright future. She could do anything she wanted, she just didn't know it yet. He cursed himself silently. Why did he never think of Kathy like that?

"Sorry," he muttered, feeling stupid. Being with his girlfriend and talking didn't mind him so much - but he felt like a fake while he thought of his best friend at the same time.

"No you ain't," she shook her head, "you know? James wanted to beat you up. But I told him no."

She was referring to her older brother. James and Two-Bit didn't have a problem with each other, but he had a feeling that they wouldn't be as good as friends as they used to be.

"Look," he sighed, "I never meant for that to happen. I didn't know -"

"You lead her on!" she screeched, sending shivers up his spine.

God he hated when girls yelled. It bugged him something awful.

"How do you know that?" he snapped, letting his anger get the best of him. It was rare that he ever had a hissy fit with anybody - mind his own girlfriend - but he felt now was the time too.

"I heard from Steve ... who heard from Evie ..." she said quietly. He watched as her pretty face began to blush furiously, obviously embarrassed.

Anna never listened to gossip.

"Why would you listen to them? Their just dumb shits who don't know a single thing about what happened."

"Actually," she retorded, her attitude springing back to life. "Evie is Anna's best friend. And if I recall, Steve knows damn well she likes you."

Two-Bit considered this. It was all true, except for the Steve part. Steve wouldn't know shit if it hit him in the face. "Kathy, ya shouldn't listen to gossip."

He could have swore he saw her eyes begin to glisten, "Well I'm sorry I don't ignore gossip about my boyfriend kissing another girl. His best friend, at that."

"Look," he tried to reach for her hand, only to have her snatch it away again. "Me and Anna have been friends for a long time. It didn't mean nothin'."

She shook her head, "It did mean something. A kiss _always_ mean somethin'."

He shook his head back at her, "Nope."

She paused, laced her fingers together and looked down at her hands. They were resting nervously in her lap. "Do _our_ kisses mean anything?"

He gave her a sympathetic look, "Of course."

She sighed, as if a heavy weight has just been lifted off her shoulders. "Good."

_At least you got something right for once_, he obtusely thought.

XXXXX

Waking up next to Tim, Anna's bare back was being exposed. He had the blanket to himself, and she only had a piece. That small corner of the blanket was covering her legs and half of her waist. She wanted desperately to tug the blankets out from under him and send him flying into the floor, but she couldn't. She had a massive headache, and her body was aching menacingly. Her forearms were red, and so were her hips. It didn't take a master mind to figure out she would be bruised by tomorrow.

Without getting up, she mentally looked around and tried to find to spot her clothes. She saw her skirt halfway across the room, but luckily, the rest of her clothes were bunched up in the corner. She looked at Tim, who was dead to the world.

She got up slowly and squeezed her eyes shut as the springs under the bed recoiled.

Tim snapped his eyes open and looked at Anna, only seeing her bareback.

"Where ya goin'?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her bruised side and pulled her close to him. Her back was pressed up against his bare chest. She dug her nails into her palm to keep from screaming in frustration.

"I have to go home," she insisted.

"Ya've only been here for like three hours," he replied.

Anna could have swore it was Sunday already. It felt as if she had slept an entire lifetime away.

"Oh," she said, trying to relieve the tension in her shoulders.

"Hey," he cooed, stroking his rough thumb on her bare shoulder. "Calm down, kid. Was that your first time?"

Without an answer, she nodded. She didn't blink, or breath, she just stared ahead at the wall. Sure people had regrets, and things they can't take back. But Anna had never discovered how much it hurt when she knew she could never take this back. She had done something so incredibly stupid that she had wanted to slap herself in the face. She knew that when she walked down the stairs with Tim at her side, people would know. And they would judge. And then Two-Bit would find out.

He noticed as a tear slid down her cheek. "Didn't hurt that much, did it?"

She tried not to laugh. _If only he knew_, she thought. She wasn't crying because it hurt - though the pain was definitely pissing her off - she was crying because she hated herself. She hated herself for even coming to Buck's in the first place. She knew that sleeping with Tim meant that she would have to 'go steady' with him until he decided to end things with her. Sleeping with Tim was one thing, but dating him was a whole nother mess she didn't even want to get tangled in.

"No. It didn't," she finally said. She pulled Tim's arm off of hers, and scooted away from him. Covering her chest with her arms, she pulled her arms through the arms of the blouse. She buttoned it up quickly and looked around for her skirt. She felt his eyes on her the whole time, but she didn't look at him. Not once.

Putting her skirt on, she zipped it up and reached for the doorknob. Completely unaware of him behind her, she felt his hand clamp down on her shoulders. She jumped and looked back, but he just nodded at something and signaled for her to go.

Her heart pounded in her chest loudly. What if Two-Bit was here? It had to be around one in the damn morning, if not, somewhere remotely close to there. Sheepishly, she walked down the hall and started for the stairs. The entire time the only thing she could hear was the stomping of Tim's boots behind her.

As she smoke from cigarettes and the smell of beer ran up to meet her, she coughed furiously. Tim sighed angrily and walked right past her, bumping a shoulder with her in the process.

She blew the smoke from her face, and tried to clear her version. Her eyes started watering from the smoke, but it began to clear as a figure stood infront of her. Thinking it was Tim, she squinted her eyes up and looked up at the six foot tall boy.

As she saw the face, her heart stopped. There stood Two-Bit Mathews, giving her a look of confusion.

"Where you...?" his eyebrows flew up, looking up the stairs as he did so.

She nodded, knowing lying to him would do no good. No good at all. His grey eyes met hers worriedly. Without having to look in a mirror, she knew for a fact that she was blushing furiously.

"With Tim?" he asked, his eyebrows raising higher. She couldn't even look at him in the eye.

"Beat it, Mathews," they heard a voice snap from behind them. Two-Bit turned around, and Anna looked forward. Tim was standing there, looking like a real JD from a movie. She smacked herself in the face for not having better taste then Tim. But the 'taste' she had in guys was the last thing that was important at the moment.

"Why should I?" Two-Bit turned his back on Anna and stared face-to-face with Tim.

Tim clenched his fist, "Wipe that stupid fucking smirk off of your face before I do it for you."

That only made Two-Bit smirk more.

_"If I ever fought Mr. Timothy Shepard, I could beat his ass!" Two-Bit cried gleefully, punching the air in victory._

_"Sure, sure," she mumbled, balancing a piece of grass between her fingers._

Anna wasn't so sure that having her best friend and Tim Shepard fight was to hot of an idea. It was late at night, or even extremely early in the morning, so it was unsafe. Chances were Two-Bit was to drunk. But by looking at the crazed look in his eye, and the way he was acting toward Anna and Tim, he hadn't been drunk. Maybe he had a few drinks, but nothing to get him drunk.

Two-Bit suddenly turned to Anna, "You fucked him?"

"Her first time, too," Tim added from behind with a smirk.

Two-Bit shot him a glare. As his stormy grey eyes met hers, she looked away. She couldn't look him in the eye for more then a second.

"Tim, can you take me home?" she asked, looking over Two-Bit's shoulder at Tim, who's smirk grew wider at her plead.

"Sure, baby."

Anna knew that Tim was only acting like this just to get at Two-Bit. It obviously worked, because unexpectdly, a punch felled Tim in the jaw. Anna stared wide-eyed, unsure of how to act. She had been in on Two-Bit's playful fights, hell, he had even playfully fought her at one point or another, but never an actual fight. Two-Bit was angry as hell. He was acting like a whole different breed of hood right then.

Two-Bit turned back to Anna, "How could you do that?"

_"If you and Tim ever got together..." Two-Bit clenched his fists together._

_"I know, I know. You'll kick his ass," Anna rolled her eyes._

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean ..." she began, but was cut off by the disbelieving look Two-Bit gave her.

"You didn't mean too? Anna, you chose to fuck him. Hell, it sucks that ya did it. But that you chose _him_ as your first?"

Anna was about to back herself up, but Two-Bit just walked away. She had no idea what he was so worked up about. He probably couldn't even remember the first girl he had ever slept with. She looked down at Tim, who was cocking an eyebrow in her direction.

"He's such a fucking idiot," Tim swore blue and green, rubbing his jaw where he had been slugged.

_No_, she thought, _I'm an idiot._

* * *

_It's amazing the things you realise when you lose someone. You get mad at yourself for not saying things you could've said a million times. You take for granted the days spent doing nothing when you could have been with them. Anyone can be taken at any time in our lives, but we always wait until it's too late to say the things we never had the courage to before._

**A/N 2:** It's Christmas Eve! I hope you all have a good Christmas and get what you asked for!!:) And I hope you guys have a white Christmas ... Ontario hardly has any snow.


	8. Open Arms And Open Eyes

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Outsiders_ by S.E Hinton, nor do I own the song "Drive" by Incubus.

**A/N 1:** Previous chapters have been edited. P.S: this chapter has a lot of memories in it. Gives you a good look into Anna and Two-Bit's friendship. :-) Oh and their is heavy swearing in this.

* * *

**Sunday, April 8th, 1967**

Two-Bit couldn't concentrate. Only last Sunday he and Anna had come to the Dingo to try and think of a genius prank. It's amazing how fast things can change. Things had always been changing, but he hadn't noticed it. Maybe he should pay closer attention to reality. The only thing that was on his mind was Tim and Anna. They couldn't have been drunk. Tim got boozed up a lot, but he knew Anna was only sixteen. He sighed, fully aware that as of today, her seventeenth birthday was in exactly two weeks. She wasn't a kid anymore. She wasn't his best friend anymore either. They were both changing by the seams, but they both had no clue how to deal with it.

"_What do you want to do when you grow up?" Two-Bit asked, climbing the monkey bars in the park._

"_I wanna have a hair salon and do hair," she smiled big, "What do you wanna do?"_

"_Can I be the manager?" he grinned._

"_Yeah!"_

Anna had to be eleven, turning twelve in that memory. Thinking of all the memories they had deeply killed him. He knew that he would never be the same, joking, uplifting person that Ponyboy described him to be. Tulsa was a dark place, even if it was the near middle of April. In the past few years, so much has happened. People have lied, people have died, and peopled have been betrayed. Two-Bit knew that there were worse places out there, but he had never been anywhere outside of Tulsa, so he didn't think of that.

"_I'm all in," Anna shoved her few cents forward. She looked up at Two-Bit and grinned mischievously._

"_I'm callin' your bluff," he winked._

Anna and Two-Bit played poker all the time. It was a fun game for them. Two-Bit tried to cheat, but Anna always ended up finding out. She was smart. She paid attention to the little things most people ignore.

"_How far did you get?" she asked, turning a deep shade of red._

_"Home run!" he yelped, and almost fell of the counter from laughing at her face._

"_You're a loser," she said, "I don't see what those girls see in you."_

"_Why," he held his chin up high, "My devastating good looks and my hard-to-resist charm."_

_She scoffed in usion, "Keep dreaming, Elvis."_

He laughed a bit. Anna was funny in a sarcastic way. She didn't crack as many jokes as Two-Bit, but it was fun to argue with her. She didn't like to give in, which made arguing with her all the more fun. Even if she was wrong.

"_Admit it," he said, "Elvis is tuff."_

_She sighed, "No he ain't."_

"_Prove it," he crossed his arms._

_She looked around the room nervously, "I...I don't know! If I ever had to write about him, I'd do it, but I just don't like his music."_

"_What kinda music do you like then?" he challenged. He saw the irritated look in her eye and grinned._

"_The Beatles are okay," she shrugged, "I dunno. I don't really listen to music unless it's on the radio."_

"_The Beatles?" he repeated, as if not hearing her right. "Okay, Soc. Good taste."_

_She threw a book at him, "Go to hell."_

_He smiled and dropped the book on the ground, "See ya there."_

He had been avoiding to think about one thing, and one thing only. Tim. There wasn't much Two-Bit could do about Anna sleeping with Tim. Hell, it already happened and there was no going back. Unfortunately, Two-Bit had taken his anger out on the both of them last night. She could've said no. Two-Bit knew that Anna was to shy to refuse something like that, but maybe it was different last night. Maybe _she_ had teased _him_ just to get Two-Bit mad. That sounded a lot like her. She had always believed in getting revenge, but Two-Bit had no idea what he had done.

"You wanna quit bummin' around our house and go talk to Anna?" Soda leaned on the wall and looked at Two-Bit, who had his eyes fixated on the TV but his mind elsewhere.

Two-Bit had no clue whatsoever how everybody suddenly knew about Anna and Tim. It was official, they were dating. Or 'going seady' as most people called it. She was probably horrified and upset. But hell, he couldn't get her out of the situation she brought herself into.

"Na," he shook his head and got to his feet.

"What's got you so upset? It ain't like you like her or anythin'," Soda pointed out, sitting on the coach and looking across the room at Two-Bit.

He paced in front of the TV, "I don't like her."

But he did. Even if a small part of him was still in complete denial, he did like her. He liked her a lot. If she wanted to make the first move, then he would go along with it. But it was be to risky for him to make the first move on his best friend. Or, rather, his friend. His best friend disappeared a long time ago, and he hadn't even tried to get her back.

XXXXX

She had to fix things.

She couldn't just leave them the way they were, especially with everyone talking about Tim and her. She suddenly saw everything as a chain reaction. Two-Bit was mad at her, she was mad at Tim, Tim was mad at Two-Bit, Kathy was mad at Two-Bit, Steve was mad at Anna, Evie was mad at Two-Bit, and Katie was mad at Anna. She didn't even want to know who else was mad at her or Two-Bit. They stuck their noses where they don't belong, and that made her mad. It was none of their damn business what had happened between her and Two-Bit.

Evie was mad at Two-Bit for obvious reasons. He had a girlfriend, who apparently was Evie's 'good friend' all of a sudden, and he had kissed Anna. Anna didn't understand why Evie was mad at Two-Bit, and not at Anna. Besides, she was the one who kissed him, not vice versa. Evie, of all people should have understood that, but she didn't.

Anna knocked on the door, and waited for Evie to answer it. She was home, she had to be.

"What?" Evie crossed her arms and glared slightly down at Anna.

"Whoa," she held her hands up, "why are you pissed at me?"

"You kissed him and you knew he was dating Kathy!" Evie screeched, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Look, I know you love him -"

"I don't love him," she grumbled.

"But you _have to let it go_," she finished, sternly.

Let it go? How the hell was she supposed to 'let it go'? Looks like no matter what, even you're closest friends prove their true colors at one point. For so long Anna had thought Evie would be on her side - through thick and thin. Looks like she had been wrong the whole time.

"I can't," she murmured, knowing it would rise another argument between the girls.

Lately, Anna has been touchy with everyone. It seemed as though all conversation revolved around the events in the past couple of weeks. She could hardly talk to her own sister anymore, and they used to be closer then ever. Maybe as close as the Curtis brothers were.

"Well you have too," Evie sighed, "He has a girlfriend, Anna."

She bit the side of her cheek. She was one hundred and ten percent aware that he had a girlfriend.

"Oh, you think I don't know that?" she snapped, forcing a glare into her eyes.

Evie didn't answer.

"You think I don't feel like shit right now? I've fucked everything up, and it's _my_ fault. For as long as I live, I will never forget what I did. So go ahead. Take Kathy's side. There shouldn't even _be_ sides. This concerns me, and him!"

Anna looked at Evie, waiting for a response. When all Evie did was look down at the ground, Anna nodded, taking that as her answer. She turned around and marched down the sidewalk, keeping her head high.

"Anna, wait. Please let me explain," Evie grabbed her arm, her sharp nails digging into her bruises from last night.

Anna winced at the pain, but stopped in her tracks. "Explain what."

"Come inside. It's ... a lot," she said in a calm voice.

Anna nodded solemnly and let Evie drag her into the house. As the door shut, she stood against the wall and cocked an eyebrow. She gave her a questioning look.

"Sit down," Evie patted the seat next to her.

"I'm fine," she retorted hotly.

Evie bit her lip and looked away from Anna, "Kathy is threatened by you."

Anna scoffed, "Yeah, okay. What else do you got? Two-Bit quit drinking?"

"I'm being serious," Evie gave her a look.

"Sorry," she muttered. She took a seat beside Evie, leaving a big space, and crossed her legs. "What did you hear?"

"Kathy cried," Evie admitted. "She called me crying the night she heard about you and Two-Bit kissing."

"Did you even bother to tell her the real story?" Anna couldn't look at Evie. She stared a hole into the beige walls that were covered in photo's of Evie's relatives.

"No," she said, "I didn't have too. She said that she knew from day one."

"Day one?" Anna looked away from the wall and glanced at Evie. "She knew what?"

"That you liked him," Evie answered.

Anna tried to recall the first time she met Kathy. Her and Kathy were in the same grade ten English glass, but she never really spoke to her. She only spoke to Ponyboy.

"How did she know that?" Anna cocked an eyebrow.

_"You're eyes give away what you're thinking," Two-Bit stared at her._

_"What?" she asked, looking up._

_"Right now you're sad," he pointed out, "Why?"_

_Anna stared at him, as if not believing what he said. "My mom eloped and went to Las Vegas."_

_Two-Bit threw an arm around her shoulder, "She'll be back."_

_Anna rested her head on his shoulder, "I sure hope so."_

On several occasions, Two-Bit told her that her eyes were readable, even if they were a dark blue. She hardly found that believable. One time she looked at herself in the mirror after crying, and tried to see if it was obvious. It had been, but she didn't know if it was because her face had been red and her make-up had been running. Either way, it was damn obvious what she was feeling. She hated that. Most girls didn't show any emotions in their eyes.

"The way you look at him," Evie said, just the way Anna knew she would.

"How do I look at him?" Anna asked, crossing her arms and turning to face Evie. She waited for the answer, nervous as ever. Even though she couldn't change the way she looked at him, she could sure as hell change the way she acted around him. Then maybe her eyes would show some other emotion. She lied to herself all the time, she knew her eye-emotions would never change.

Evie looked at her with a long, sympathetic look. "Like you want something you can't have."

Anna was thankful that Evie was so honest with her. A lot of girls she knew spared their friends feelings, just for their sake, but not Evie. Evie was straight up and honest, maybe not as honest as Sylvia and Angela Shepard, but at least she was honest. Anna could talk to Evie all day along about anything she wanted. She had thought the same thing about Two-Bit. She hoped her friendship with Evie never broke.

"Oh," Anna looked down at her hands, "I don't mean too. I mean; we're just friends."

"Anna, we all know that ain't true," Evie said softly.

"Some days I feel like shit," Anna said, "Like I've really fucked things up for everyone. I just wish I there was a quit button somewhere in my life, and I could feel normal for a while."

Evie put an arm around her shoulders, and gave her a reassuring shake. "It ain't your fault what happened."

Anna knew Evie was telling the truth. She just wasn't the type of girl to lie.

"With everyone on my case, kinda seems like it. I mean can they _not_ mind their own business? Tulsa is a big city, but the neighbours are so small."

"It ain't gonna change. No matter what ya do, we'll all be gossip hens. You just happen to be at the top of the list right now."

Anna bit her lip hard. "What am I goin' do to about Tim?"

Evie took her arm off of her shoulders, and pryed her fingers together. "Sorry...but you're really gonna have to get yourself out of this one."

Anna got up from the coach and looked over at Evie. "Thanks, Evie. For everythin'. Really."

Evie stood up, a bit taller then her, and hugged her. "Anytime. Good luck with whatever you're about to go do."

Anna nodded, and walked out the door without a single word. She looked up at the sky, and sighed. From above, it would seem as if the world was so perfect. But it wasn't. Life is what happens when you're making plans. That's what her mom used to tell her, at least before she got involved with Dan. It feels like years since she's last spoken to her family. She really didn't mind though, it was nice to have a break from the people that know you best.

She had things to do. It was still early, maybe around the afternoon. She sucked in a breath of cold air, and started walking to Tim's house. She was a stupid fool for wanting to go to him again, but she had to at least clear things up. She could dump him. She didn't have much experience with guys, mainly because of Two-Bit always scaring them off, but she was sure that she could dump Tim easily enough. All she had to say was 'it's over' and then leave. No sweat.

She kicked a rock, and sent it flying across the road. A blue Mustang pulled up on the curb beside her, and two Socs got out of the car. She quickened her pace, holding her gaze on nothing in particular.

"Anna," one of the Socs called.

Without thinking, she stopped dead in her tracks suddenly, and spun around. A tall blonde guy, who she guessed was Paul Holden, and another guy, Randy Adderson, were staring her down.

"What?" she snapped. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with these two apes.

"You're the girl who kissed Kathy's boyfriend, right?" Paul asked, circling her. He bumped her shoulder as she didn't answer, but she stayed put. She sucked in a breath and clenched her fists together, digging her nails into the base of her palms.

"What's it to you?" she asked, her eyes still shut.

"We were told to hunt you down," Randy said.

"By who?" she asked, opening her eyes and looking at him. They looked like Socs alright. The boys she knew had leather jackets, and greased hair. These boys had madras, white pants and perfect hair. In her opinion, they were just rich snobs who thought they were the ones at the top. As far as she knew, the greasers had beat their asses in the rumble last September.

"Confidential," Paul said, "but you better watch your back."

With that, they walked back into the car and drove off. She stood there, her fists shaking. She hated those Socs. She hated them with everything she had. They can't just push her around like she's nothing! She wouldn't let them.

_But they can_, her conscious said, _they are more powerful then you are_.

"Shut up," she mumbled to herself and stomped off.

XXXXX

Two-Bit watched as Anna was surrounded by two Socs. He was all for backing her, but from what it looked like, they just wanted to talk to her. Socs didn't jump greaser girls, that was just taking things to far. But they sure could scare the hell out of them. Anna stomped off, her face looking stone cold. For a second he thought she was coming toward him, but instead, she breezed right past him.

"Anna?" he called out, his hand clamping over his mouth. _Shit, shit, shit, shit_.

She spun around, looking around. He saw the worried look in her eye as her eyes darted from each spot. He stepped out further, hoping she would see him. When her rough blue eyes landed on him, he saw her face soften.

"Two-Bit?" she asked, walking toward him as if it's been years.

"Yeah," he nodded, "I have to talk to you."

He watched as she took a few short strides toward him, before stopping. She was a fair distance from him. He couldn't help but notice the pained, impatient look in her eye. She crossed her arms and looked over his shoulder, her gaze distance.

"Talk," she shrugged.

He walked closer to her, but didn't miss the way she hesitantly backed up. She locked eyes with him before her eyes darted away again.

"Anna, this has all been a really big thing -" he explained, but was cut off.

"Save it," she held her hands up, turned around and stomped off in the other direction. He stared after her as she walked into Tim's house. What happened to them?

They were once so close, it felt as if they would never stop being friends. But that's the shitty part about life that you had to learn to accept. Two-Bit turned around and walked into the direction of his house. Kathy hadn't fully forgiven him yet, but she was slowly starting too. He was sure that she would come crawling back to him, one day begging for his forgiveness.

If anyone could see into his mind, he was screwed big time. If anyone ever saw the way he thought about Anna's true beauty, he was screwed. If anyone ever figured out he thought his own friend was prettier then his girlfriend, he would be dead. With girls, there was no way out.

He decided to go the Soda's instead. Chances are, the whole gang was there. He needed a few beers to forget all about this stupid shit some greasers wouldn't even think twice about ignoring. But they didn't have a best friend that meant a lot to them, they didn't have a girlfriend who was mad at them, and they definitely didn't fuck up big time like he did. They just didn't understand, and they never would understand. That was the shitty part about being a greaser and a Soc. Either way, people think you're off your nut if you talk about your feelings.

He walked into the Curtis house, and saw the gang sitting in the living room. It was rare that they were all together. It just wasn't the same after the murder rap with Pony, Johnny and Dally.

"Hey, Two-Bit," Darry nodded at him, and went back to playing poker. They were all surrounding the kitchen table that had been dragged into the living room.

He studied their faces. Soda, Steve, Darry, and Ponyboy. That was it. No Johnny. No Dally.

"Watcha guys up too?" he asked, grabbing a chair and sitting on it. He took a peak at Steve's card, who glared at him and smacked the back of his head. He figured the least he could do was turn back to his old self. At least for a little bit.

Darry shrugged, giving him a rare grin. "I took it things went well with you and Anna?"

Two-Bit froze. Was there _one_ time he could spend without people bringing her up? He stood up and stared at him. The gang, what was left of the gang at least, looked up at him in confusion.

"No. It didn't. You wanna know where she was going?" he asked sternly.

"Where?" Darry asked, sighing under his breath as Two-Bit glared.

"Tim Shepard's," he said immediately.

Steve looked confused. "Tim Shepard?" he repeated.

Two-Bit jerked his gaze to Steve, who stood up to meet his height. "Yeah."

"Well, if you weren't suck a fucking pussy, you would tell her how you feel," Steve said through clenched teeth.

Two-Bit knew Steve was trying to egg him on. Any other time before September, maybe he would have been able to just take the bait and kid around. But not now. Things were to fucked up to 'go back to normal'.

"Shut your trap. You know nothing about it," Two-Bit snapped.

Steve pushed Two-Bit's chest back. "I know a helluva lot more then you do. I know she's crazy about you and you won't fucking do anything. She talked to Evie today, and I sure as hell know you're a fucking idiot."

"Really?" Two-Bit shoved him back, sending him stumbling a bit. He regained balance and stared straight into his storming grey eyes.

"Yeah. And you wanna know what she said?" Steve cocked an eyebrow.

"No," he spat.

"She said that some days she feels like shit. Like she's really _fucked_ things up for everyone."

Two-Bit puffed his chest out, his fists itching to hit something. It was rare that he got so tense, but Steve was bringing it on himself. "Fuck you. She didn't say that."

"She did. And what were you doing?" Steve shoved Two-Bit. "Probably fucking the girl you don't even like. You have a girl who loves you, as fucking pathetic as you've been actin', and yet you're with the one who's on her back most of the time."

Something instead of Two-Bit snapped. He grabbed a handful of Steve's shirt, and held his fist back, ready to punch him right in the nose. As he was about to aim for his face, somebody had him by his upper arms and twisted them behind his back. Soda grabbed Steve, shoving him out of the way.

The two boys struggled against Soda and Darry, who were holding them. Ponyboy watched in fear, his eyes struck with pain. Two-Bit settled down quickly, but Steve's shoulders were tense and he had a crazed look in his eye. The look Two-Bit remembered having the day he got sent to jail for a night.

"Guys!" Darry shouted, stopping them all. They all looked at their unofficial leader with cocked eyebrows and confused faces. "What are you doing? You're supposed to be friends, not enemies."

"He fucking started it," Steve edged forward, but was pushed back by Darry's hand.

"No. Nobody started it," Pony spoke up. The angry teenage boys shifted their gazes and looked at the fourteen year old boy who dared speak when it was so tense.

"What are you talkin' about, kid?" Two-Bit asked, sounding calmer then Steve had.

"I hate to say, but Two-Bit...Steve's right."

The cocky look Steve had on his face made Two-Bit simply roll his eyes. "What do you mean?" he ignored Steve.

"Anna is crazy about you. I don't know much about girls..." he laughed nervously, "but I know enough to be aware that she really likes you. And I think you should tell her you feel the same."

"Bullshit! I don't -"

"Give it up," Pony snapped, cutting him off. "Y'all are so alike it's freaking me out."

Two-Bit gave him a puzzled look, "Huh?"

"Every time we say y'all like each other, you just deny it. _Every time_."

"Whatever," Two-Bit muttered. He slammed the door shut and walked out into the cold night.

He had definitely just made things a whole lot worse. He wasn't arguing with Steve because of Anna. All of the anger built up inside of him lashed out tonight all because of not one, but two, fucking deaths of his friends. You know guys for a long time, and you just can't get over the fact that their dead. Gone forever.

Fuck, he hated life right now.

* * *

_No matter what, once in your life someone will hurt you. That someone will take all that you are and rip it into pieces and they won't even watch the pieces land. But through breakdown, you'll learn something about yourself. You'll learn that you're strong, and no matter how hard they try to destroy you, that you can conquer anyone._

**A/N 2:** Please review :) This was a tough one to write...


	9. We're Floating In Space

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Outsiders_ by S.E Hinton, nor do I claim any ownership in the song "Do You Realize?" by The Flaming Lips.

* * *

**Monday, April 9th, 1967**

Anna sat in her first period science class, trying to pay attention to the lesson. She figured the most she could do was try and get goods grades. Then she could go off to college, and leave all this drama behind. Telling Two-Bit to 'save it' ought to have been the smartest thing that she's ever said. Even if her heart ached when the words came out, she somehow felt that it was the right thing to do.

Beside her, Curly was watching her with a stupid look on his face. She gave him a side-glance, cursing Evie for being sick today. "What?" she sneered. She was never fond of her boyfriend's little brother. He was a creep.

"Do you even _like_ Tim?" he asked, raising an eyebrow sceptically.

She fidgeted before answering. "Pay attention."

He sighed, and went back to drawing on the desk. She bit her lip and tried to follow as Mr Green started to draw something she couldn't comprehend. Being suspended from school for a week ought to have been the best thing for her. She got long days off, and now she was back at school, ready to get good grades and not make stupid mistakes.

Mr Green handed out a sudden worksheet, giving Curly a stern look before placing a sheet on his desk. He told the class they could talk quietly, and Anna mentally slapped him in the face. The one time she actually wanted to bury herself in the lesson, she was allowed to talk while doing a worksheet.

"So back to my question," Curly said, crumpling up the worksheet and tossing it behind him.

"Yes I like Tim," she lied. She was very unhappy in her relationship with Tim. It seemed as though the only thing he wanted from her was sex; and she just wasn't ready to give it up yet. Even if she did have some-what drunk sex with him at Buck's, she had vowed to never do it again. At least not with Tim.

"No," Curly shook his head, "You like Mathews."

Anna sighed angrily, "_No _I don't."

"Whoa," he scooted his chair away from her desk dramatically. He looked at her with a look of disbelief. She didn't like Tim one bit, and she was starting to get irritated with all of the drama that was going on with Two-Bit. If she could go back to last Sunday and erase everything, she sure as hell would.

The end of first period bell rang, and she sighed in happiness. Tomorrow, she was going to drag Evie to school. Even if she was puking her guts out, Anna didn't want to stand one more class with Curly Shepard. She wasn't even sure if he was supposed to be in grade ten science. How he even passed grade nine was a mystery to her. He was just a dumb hood who didn't know anything but how to bullshit talk people.

Ponyboy met her at the door, patting Curly's back. "Got your paper?"

Anna nodded, slipping out the front-and-back three page essay she had finally finished. He grinned at her and they walked side by side to their second period English class. Miss Hill was sitting at her desk, and looked up as she saw Anna.

"Do you have your -"

"Yup," Anna happily cut her off, smacking the stapled essay on her desk. Miss Hill had a pleased expression on her face as she quickly ran her eyes through it. When she looked up at Anna, she nodded and grinned.

"Very good, Anna."

She grinned and walked to her usual spot with Ponyboy. Spotting Kathy, she was going to wave and say hi, before Kathy shot her a glare of death. Anna's heart stopped as she stared back at Kathy. Pony shoved her along, sitting in their spot.

"Okay, class. We are going to be moving spots for the remaining months of this semester."

The whole class groaned.

She started to point and pick at peope, placing Socs beside greasers, and girls beside boys. It's like Miss Hill knew who liked who, and who hated who. Anna swore she was physic as she told Ponyboy to switch spots with Kathy.

The class oo-ed as Kathy got up, and sharply walked over to Anna. Anna sighed, and shot Pony a glare at the back of his head as he started socializing with his new neighbour.

"Anna," Kathy nodded, sitting down.

"Kathy. Look, I think we should start over," Anna shrugged sweetly.

Kathy gave her a look, as if not expecting that at all. "Start over? As in...me forgiving you?"

Anna nodded, "Somethin' like that."

She watched as Kathy considered this. "Alright. I guess so. But I have one thing to tell you."

Anna looked back at her. "What?" she whispered as the class started.

"Two-Bit is mine. I'm his, and he's mine," she warned, then shrugged and looked up at the board. Anna's entire body went numb.

_This is going to be a long year_, she thought.

XXXXX

When third period started, Two-Bit walked into his math class. He was walking confidently to his spot, until he realised who had this class with him. The one, the only, Anna Mercer. He knew that he more he procrastinated from talking to her, the worse things would get. He made an ode to himself that - today would be the first day of his forgiveness train.

He spotted Anna, who looked at him as soon as she entered the classroom. He waved her over.

She hesitantly walked over to him, "Hey."

Anna looked down at her paper, but he forced her gaze to meet his. "Do you wanna skip? I really have to talk to you."

Two-Bit grinned, "Sure."

They walked out of the class, their teacher to oblivious to the amount of students walking out of the classroom right in front of his eyes. They walked out of the school and into the parking lot, falling silent as they got outside. It was never this awkward between them, but then again, the awkwardness was both of their fault. He shook the Hollywood thoughts out of his head and opened his car, watching as she slid in the passenger door.

"The past few days have been...rough," she began. "With everything that has happened, I just want you to know that you're still my best friend."

Two-Bit watched her carefully choose her words, as if being sentenced to the electric chair. He leaned back into the seat, digging for a cigarette and a lighter. Lighting the weed, all of the tension inside of him decreased. He breathed out a heave of smoke.

"Same to you," he said.

He wasn't big on speeches, but for a long time he had wanted to get through to her. He just wanted someone else to tell her for him, so he wouldn't have to make a fool out of himself by expressing his feelings to her. Hell, he wasn't even sure _what_ his feelings were.

"And I'm sorry I caused all of this. I just..." she squeezed her eyes shut. Anna's face went pale, and Two-Bit knew it only went pale if she had something important to say. He braced himself, taking a long and peaceful drag of his cigarette. "I think I'm in love with you."

Two-Bit's hand went numb, making the cigarette in his hand nearly drop. His mouth stayed shut, clenching his teeth together. His eyes were wide as he stared at her snow-white face. She looked over at him, and instantly turned beat red. Two-Bit had been told by so many god damn people that she loved him, he just never expected for her to admit it to him the way she did right then. He had thought about the way he would react time after time, but now that it was happening, he was clueless as to what to say or do.

He threw his smoke out the window, knowing he would need a six pack of beer to get rid of the warm feeling he had in his heart. He gripped the wheel with his hands, his knuckles turning white.

Out of nowhere, she gently grabbed his face with her palms, and crushed her lips to his. He was taken back, expecting that out of nowhere. He wondered how much she had thought about doing that. She was cheating on Tim, and as he kissed her back, he was cheating on Kathy. Again.

When she pulled back, there were tears in her eyes. The tears were blurring up in her eyes, they didn't fall down her cheeks or anything. Two-Bit stared at her in disbelief, totally confused at her behavior. After days of not talking, she suddenly expresses her love for him and kisses him. Damn it.

"I don't wanna wreck you 'n Kathy or anything," she said in a soft tone Two-Bit had never heard her use before. "But I just wanted to tell you that."

He couldn't force any words out of his mouth. Instead, acting like a blasted fool, he sat there, dumbstruck. She nodded to herself, as if taking his expression as a sign, then got out of the car. He stared at the seat she had been sitting in, and finally blinked out of his daze. She was in love with him? Hell, he couldn't deal with love. That took to much patience, time, commitment...

He then had it. Each time he saw her, he wanted to be with her badly. But he was to fucking chicken shit to take a damn risk that he never told her that. He got out of the car, hoping to be able to run after her, but he stood there like an idiot. He watched her walk off, her permed hair bouncing on her shoulders and her head up high. How could he not run? Greasers were supposed to be able to defeat anything...

"Anna!" he called out, sighing in relief as the he had earlier beer kicked in, and his confidence boosted.

She turned around, her eyes dull. "Yeah?"

He looked around, hoping Kathy was nowhere in sight, and took a few steps toward her. They were now face-to-face, about a foot apart. He could hear Anna suck in a quick breath and look up at him.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

She smiled. "It's okay. I should be sorry. I should have known we're better off to just be friends."

Two-Bit stared at her, yet again, as she took off of school property.

XXXXX

"Evie! Open the damn door!" Anna slammed her fist to Evie's bedroom door, demanding that she opened it. Despite the fact that Evie was sick, she was perfectly fine and healthy to open the door and talk to her friend.

"Who is it?" Evie called.

"Anna and Steve," she crossed her fingers.

Soon enough the door flew open. Anna awkwardly untangled her two fingers and walked in Evie's small bedroom. "Got cha," she winked.

"Yeah, yeah," Evie sat down on her bed and curled up in a ball, "What's up?"

Anna looked at Evie, who had no make-up on. Her hair was in a bun, with her bangs held back by an elastic headband. "I talked to Two-Bit today."

She wasn't satisfied with what had happened. She didn't want to be 'just friends', and she could hardly believe that's what had come out her mouth. What Curly had said in first period was one hundred percent true, and it made Anna irritable. She didn't like to be proved wrong, especially by Curly of all people. It was bad enough that she was in love with her own best friend, but having her current boyfriend's kid brother on her case wasn't helping.

"And?" Evie said excitedly, her dull eyes beaming with delight.

"I said we were better off being friends," she said, sheepishly.

Evie smacked her upside the head, and glared. "_Why_?!"

"Because," Anna rubbed the side of her head, "I'm with Tim now."

Evie and Anna both grimaced.

"...I can't cheat on him. He'd kill me."

"No, Shepard wouldn't sink that low," Evie said, blinking a few times at Anna.

She bit the side of her cheek, accidentally ripping a piece of skin off. She made a face, then looked back at Evie. Maybe she should have just kissed him, one last time.

"If it helps," Anna etched a grin on her face, "I kissed him."

Evie smiled, satisfied. Unfortunately, Anna was just going to have to take some time to realise they were better off as friends.

XXXXX

"She kissed you?!" Steve was taken back. The boys had made up by the end of the day - they didn't often hold grudges against each other. Darry looked at Two-Bit with a tough expression that was unreadable. Soda patted him on the back, and went back to talking deeply with Pony.

"Yeah," Two-Bit said. He didn't know what to think of it.

"Boy howdy, I shoulda seen that comin'," Steve muttered, "so are y'all goin' steady?"

Two-Bit stopped to stare at Steve, before shaking his head. "No, man. We ain't."

Steve was about to protest, but Soda had piped up: "Let's go bowling."

The boys all reluctantly agreed, as they had nothing else to do. Darry drove them in the Ford, keeping silent the whole time. Two-Bit desperately tried to read his mind, but he was like a book that was sealed shut with super glue. He could read Anna as if the words in the book were in a large font. Two-Bit wasn't about to tell Steve, Soda, Pony _or_ Darry that Anna had also admitted she was in love with him. It was bad enough that he couldn't get her small kiss off of his mind.

"I think you should just go out with her," Soda said.

"I don't get it," Pony said. He narrowed his eyebrows, as if trying to figure everything out at once.

"Do we hafta draw you a picture?" A red-eyed Steve snapped, getting out and slamming the door as they entered the bowling alley. Greasers didn't go for the cheesy shoes that were legitimate when bowling, so the boys just ignored the clerk who had tried to get their attention.

Two-Bit took a seat, not wanting to get up to bowl. Soda, Pony and Darry set up a game for just the three of them, Darry and Soda sitting down as Pony went to take his turn. They didn't stay seated for long, as they all shifted and caught different parts of the conversation Steve and Two-Bit had been sharing.

"I -" Steve began, before cutting himself off. He looked behind Two-Bit where a couple of Socs were standing there, sizing them up. Steve put on a hard face and gritted his teeth together. "What do y'all want now?"

"Looks like the monkeys are gettin' restless tonight," one of the Socs said, proceeding to make monkey noises with his buddies.

"Real good, Soc. Did your Mom teach you that?" Two-Bit said coolly, standing up to meet there heights. He was so fed up with those damn Socs, he couldn't help but glare at them.

"Nope. My mom walks on two legs, not four," the Soc laughed.

Two-Bit lunged forward, getting a few good punches at him before being pulled off of him. The Soc held his nose, but didn't cry or wince. He just brushed past Two-Bit, bumping his shoulder purposely in the process. Two-Bit stared at his hands. They were covered in scars that he hadn't quite noticed before. He had definitely been in his fair share of fights, but he never took himself for being rough like Tim.

"What's your problem lately?" Darry asked, coming from behind him and grabbing his knuckles. "You're actin' so different."

Two-Bit looked at him. "Why don't you and Katie go fool around `stead of stickin' your nose in my business, Curtis."

For the first time in a long time, Darry looked hurt by Two-Bit's words. Not only was his feelings for Anna changing, but his feelings for his own friends had been changing too. And he had no idea what he was going to do about it.

XXXXX

"Tim...I have to talk to you," Anna said, trying to swipe at the smoke that had been coming from his cigarette.

He blew a ring in her face. "`Bout what?"

"I..." she trailed off, the weight of his arm suddenly making her shoulders cave in. She stood up, and bit her lip. "We...s-shouldn't go out. Anymore."

_You are the worst dumper,_ her conscious cursed. Anna mentally cursed right back.

Tim sighed. "I got no time to talk."

As he was about to get up from her coach, she tugged his arm back, sending his cigarette to nearly drop on the ground. "Oh? Then maybe you have time to leave." She pushed him forward, giving him an angry look.

Tim looked back at her suddenly, his smoke sitting between his fingers. "What the fuck? Is this `cause of Mathews? I can easily get rid a'him, doll face."

Anna widened her eyes but didn't say anything. She had never dealt with being alone with a boy as tough as Tim.

"Don't touch him," she whispered defensively, hoping he would ignore her and walk out.

"Just for that," he flung the door open, "ya better keep an eye out for 'em."

Anna sat there, dumbstruck. She had dumped Tim. She could be with Two-Bit. But for some reason, she had a feeling this was the start to a horrible event.

If he wasn't a bit drunk, Anna was sure he would have proceeded to knock her head off the moment she dumped him. Before he slammed the door shut, she looked at the scar that was on his face. It stood out for most people, but Anna found herself more interested in his smoldering black eyes. She had always figured she went for the more...humorous and laid-back kind of guy. Like Two-Bit. But Tim was definitely something different. Sure, he had one hell of a temper, and the tense, hungry look of an alley cat...but he was nice to her...sometimes. Every now and then, he would throw a compliment at her, making her blush.

"Wait!" she called after him, knocking on the window furiously before he rolled it down.

He had the alley cat look to his eyes. "What do ya want?"

"I was kidding," she said lamely.

He stared at her, and she stared right back at him. While having the opportunity to look at him, she studied him closely. He had that tough, hard look to him. The look that sent people running when his temper was beginning to rise. He wasn't the type of guy to fool around with words. He always backs up what he says he'll do. Unlike Curly, he was tough. Curly was just mouth.

"Knew you'd come right back," he muttered. She was really starting to become attracted to him, but it hurt her to know that he would never be able to return the feeling. He was probably using her right now, for all she knew. He didn't necessarily talk a lot, but when he did, it was mostly smack. Sometimes a cute line, but hardly.

"Did you want to go Jay's?" she asked. She had heard from Evie that a few days ago, the Dingo was firebombed and had burned down. The greasers had then invaded the Soc's hangout - Jay's. It was a drive-in restaurant along the Restless Ribbon. Jay's has a stall for each car to pull into, and a menu with a button to press to order. A cop was stationed at the drive-in to prevent trouble. That cop knew most of the kids, but didn't really do his job. The rule was brought in that you weren't allowed to leave your car because of the fights and cars being left empty in stalls all night.

"Tonight?" he asked, lifting both eyebrows.

She bit her lip and nodded, finding herself not being able to let go of his gaze.

"Can't," he started the car. "Goin' out tonight."

Tim was constantly restless.

"All right," she nodded and watched as he sped off. He must have been in a better mood - but Anna really had no clue. She didn't want to like him, or look at him as anything other then a hood, but her mind was changing constantly about boys.

Walking back into her house, she thought of Two-Bit. She had to see him one last time before finally deciding if they were officially done with each other - their friendship, and the mutual feeling. She crossed her fingers that their friendship could be longed for the future, and the feelings she had toward him would just go to hell.

XXXXX

Two-Bit had come to the conclusion that he was going to hop on the apology train, and take a spin of Tulsa. The first stop: Steve. Though they put their small fight behind them, Two-Bit still never forgot about how he let his anger get the best of him. For as long as he could remember, he had figured that he was to lazy to argue with anyone, and that all he was good for was cracking jokes. _Guess that all changed_, he sighed.

He stopped by DX, and saw only Steve and some other guy working. He walked up to him, swiped a candy bar casually, and grinned. "Hey, man. How's business?"

Steve leaned on the vertical icebox. "Real lousy today."

"Always is on Mondays," Two-Bit laughed and took the candy bar out of his pocket. He didn't miss the confused look that Steve gave him, but just bit into it and chewed anyways.

"Whaddya here for?" he cracked open a Coke, taking a sip of it. He kept his eyes suspiciously fixated on him, as if trying to figure out a thousand things at once. He had the same look that Ponyboy had when they were at the bowling alley. Except the difference was that Steve knew what was going on - he knew by Evie - and Pony didn't. Though Anna and Pony were close friends, she didn't exactly own up to her feelings. If she did, Pony would have told Two-Bit to try and make them all happy. That's just the way he was.

"I've boarded the apology train, and this is my first stop," Two-Bit grinned.

Steve nodded, and sighed. "S'okay man. Fist fightin' is a good way to blow off steam."

Two-Bit patted Steve on the back, sending the two boys to grin like idiots. "Amen to that, Stevie."

"But if ya pulled that damn blade on me, we wouldn't be havin' this conversation," Steve winked.

Two-Bit proceed to pull out his blade, and flick the knife open. He twirled it, reflecting the sun off of the shiny metal. "Well," he stuffed it back in his pocket. "I gotta head back on my ride."

"Who's next?" Steve asked, setting his Coke down and slowly walking to meet a customer.

Two-Bit cringed. "Darry."

At that, Steve laughed out loud. He yelled good luck to him, then went to fill up the gas tank because the other guy wasn't doing anything. Two-Bit walked to his car, and hesitantly drove to Darry's work. He knew that talking to Darry after what he said, would get him slugged for sure. But if he was going to set his limits straight, he was going to have to face the facts.

"Darry?" he asked, walking across the street from his car.

Darry, who had no shirt on with his muscles gleaming from sweat, looked back. "Two-Bit?"

"Hey, Superman," Two-Bit watched in amusement as Darry climbed down the ladder.

"What's up? Something wrong?" he asked, sounding concerned.

_Did he not remember what I had said earlier_?, Two-Bit thought confused. "Sorry `bout what I said."

Darry raised both of his eyebrows, and crossed his arms. "What did you say?"

Two-Bit laughed. "Ya don't remember?"

Darry just looked blank, looking at Two-Bit with his hard eyes.

"About you 'n Katie..." Two-Bit pressed on hesitantly.

Something flashed in Darry's eyes, but disappeared the next second. "Oh. It's alright, we're just friends."

"Sure," Two-Bit winked.

Darry glowered. "I'm serious. We're gonna see how friendship can go 'fore we date."

"So you're testing the waters, huh? Well I got some advice for ya. Don't get to far into the friendship. You never know if you'll end up fallin' for Katie, or vice versa. `S a real mess when your best friend ends up lovin' you."

As Two-Bit finished saying his small speech, he blinked and stared into space. Darry and Katie's friendship would start off great - joking around, and overall having a good time. Then Katie would start acting weird, and end up liking Darry, or vice versa. He then understood how Anna had felt about him, and for the first time, he felt sorry.

* * *

_Love is a temorary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that we grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches, we found that we were one tree, not two_. --Capain Carelli's Mandolin

**A/N:** Sorry I lacked in writing Anna's POV. Review :)


	10. How Far We've Come

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Outsiders_ by S.E Hinton, nor do I own "How Far We've Come" by Matchbox Twenty.

**A/N:** Kudos to "youtakemybreathaway" for stickin' with me. :-)

* * *

**Tuesday, April 10th, 1967**

It was a light day, which was surprising, considering it was a good four o'clock. From out of Anna's window, it looked sunny and pretty. But when she opened the window to let some of the cool air in, it was freezing. She slammed her window shut, and laughed at her stupidity. She plopped down on her single bed, making the springs scream, and sighed dreamingly to herself. Today was one of those days where you just wanted to go on the roof, and sing. She was in such a good mood - despite everything that has happened last week.

"Anna?" her door slowly opened, and Katie appeared. The bruise that had been on her face was started to fade, and she was starting to look normal again.

"Yeah?" she asked, crossing her ankles and leaning back on the bed. She held herself up with her two palms, and cocked her head to the side.

"You comin' to the drag strip t'night?" she questioned, shutting the door and taking a seat on the chair that was in front of Anna's desk. She looked at herself in the mirror, then turned around again.

"Uh..." she pursed her lips. "Who's comin'?"

"Everyone," Katie answered plainly.

Anna cocked an eyebrow. "Who's everyone?"

Katie sighed. "Darry's...gang, Shepard's outfit, socs, and a few other gangs from downtown. You know, the usual."

That wasn't the usual. Usually, Pony and Anna would stay home to work on whatever homework they had. Or she would hangout with Two-Bit, causing trouble, instead of watching some stupid race.

"Are Soda 'n Steve racin'?"

Katie nodded. "Yeah. You know I only go if there racin'. `Sides, Darry invited me."

Anna grinned at her sister. She wanted to make a smart comment about her newly formed friendship, but she decided to just keep her mouth shut. "Yeah I'll go. At six?"

"Seven," Katie corrected smartly. She got up and looked down at Anna, then took a seat next to her. "So uh...you told him you loved him, huh?"

Anna still had the happiness residing in her body. She found no reason at all to be miserable about anything anymore. Third period math with Two-Bit had been the same as any other time. They had caused trouble, and had an overall good time. Though she had been close to getting detention, it was still nice to for everything to be going back to normal.

"Yeah," she shrugged. There was no use in denying it now.

Katie looked down at Anna. "Was it true?"

In a way it was. She loved him as her best friend, and if they dated, she would be the same happy as she was now. But she was also attracted to Tim, so she decided to stay with him until they broke up for a better reason. She wasn't even sure they were officially going steady, but she wasn't about to look stupid and ask someone. She did love Two-Bit, maybe she always would. But for now, she had to wait. Because the best things in life take time, and Anna had learned that the hard way.

"Yeah," she said again. Whenever someone brought up a question that had to do with her and Two-Bit, she simply answered 'yeah' or 'I don't know'. Sooner or later people would have to quit asking her about it, right? Right.

"Okay..." Katie wasn't one to push Anna. "You gonna go with Tim?"

Anna grinned. "Yeah. He's a good guy."

The 'look' suddenly washed over Katie's face, causing her to quickly dart her eyes somewhere else. Anna looked behind her shoulder to see what she had looked at, but there was nothing there. "What?" she asked.

"He, uh, I think you should break up with him."

"Why?" The happiness that had taken it's toll on her mood, suddenly began washing away. She had the same miserable, worried feeling that she had all of last week. To think, for a second, everything had disappeared. But here she was again - on the verge of breaking.

"Do you know Alicia Maine?" Katie asked.

"Mhm," she nodded, her lips in a tight line. Alicia Maine was one of the seniors at Will Rogers. Her and Katie used to be good friends, until Katie had found out it was Alicia that Matt Harris was cheating on her with. Ever since then, Katie wanted an excuse to punch Alicia in her disgusting, make-up covered face.

"I'm pretty sure, if I heard right, she's got eyes for Tim."

Anna smirked. "Ain't she with Matt?"

"No," Katie said quietly. "They broke up a while back."

"Oh," Anna said, embarrassed. "Do you know why?"

"Look," Katie snapped her neck up and stared at her, surprisingly angry. "It don't matter. I was just tryna warn you to be careful. I don't wanna see you be another one of Shepard's little whores. Just dump him. For me. Please?"

Anna knew that there was much more to the story then what Katie was telling her. For all she knew, Tim had just ignored Alicia and claimed he had a girlfriend. She didn't know Tim well enough to be sure if he had cheated on her. She only knew Tim through Dally. She had never really been friends with him, acquaintances maybe, but not really friends.

Anna watched as Katie exited her bedroom without a word. Katie was so unpredictable at points. She could be happy and jolly one second, then fiery with anger the next. It was hard to know if Katie was telling the truth, or if she wasn't satisfied with what was going on in her baby sisters love life. There was five days until Anna turned seventeen - she didn't want sympathy, pity, or to be treated like a kid. She was a growing up, and sometimes growing up, means growing apart.

XXXXX

Two-Bit and Kathy walked silently to the bleachers, meeting the greasers. There were a total of ten rows of long seats, with a concession stand behind it. The greasers sat on one side, and the socs sat on the whole other section. The only missing members from the race were Soda and Steve, but they were the ones actually _in_ the race.

Two-Bit took Kathy's hand, and gave her a reassuring smile when she looked at him. "Two-Bit, will you stay with me the whole time?"

She had a doubtful look in her eye, and Two-Bit knew why. Kathy was obviously threatened by Anna, but she had no reason to be. He liked Kathy just fine, and that wasn't about to change. But then again, he changed the girl on his mind every other day. Today, Kathy particularly crossed his mind. Maybe it was the outfit she was wearing, or maybe it was because today in school him and Anna had went back to normal. As normal as the two could get, anyways.

"Okay," Two-Bit grinned.

They sat beside a few greasers who had greeted them. Two-Bit looked down at the people, trying to see if he could spot anybody he knew. Anybody he knew...as in Anna. He was scanning the back of peoples heads, and the side of their faces, until a certain dirty blonde head caught his eye. He grinned happily, considering going to greet her, until he saw whose arm she was under. Tim damn Shepard.

"Who are you lookin' at?" Kathy asked suddenly, trying to follow his eyes. He darted his eyes out to the track, watching the cars warm up. Before he could save himself and say something to make her blush, she had her eyes burning a hole in Anna's head. "Oh."

Two-Bit let an arm drape around her shoulders. "Don't worry."

Kathy pushed it off. "Don't worry?" her voice echoed, causing the whole crowd of greasers to turn around. When they all saw Two-Bit and Kathy, they turned their entire torsos to get a good look at the drama that was about to begin.

Two-Bit ignored them. "C'mon, baby, what are you talking about?"

Secretly, he was eating up the fact that even Anna had her head turned. He peeked a glance at her, and she was smirking. Just like she did when she thought something was funny but she didn't want to laugh.

"Everytime we're on a date, you look at every girl _but_ me."

"Kathy, baby, you know that ain't true." He tried reasoning with her, but he already knew she had her head set straight on embarrassing him. Though he loved the attention, he wasn't really at all embarrassed. Two-Bit Mathews did the embarrassing, but he didn't get embarrassed.

"It is," she snapped. Even the socs had their heads turned for what she was about to say, and Two-Bit braced himself. "Why don't you just find some other stupid chick to mess with? You told me you wouldn't kiss her again, but you did! I heard, and I saw!"

Two-Bit glanced down at Anna, who was blushing furiously. Tim had caught on, and looked down at Anna with an angry expression. Everybody was whispering 'who', wondering who in the hell Kathy had been talking about.

"Baby, it meant nothing," he took her hand. She snatched it back, as if his hand was on fire.

She stomped off, one half the crowd watching her leave, and the other half of the crowd watching Two-Bit. He caught another glance at Anna, who was silently talking with Tim. Much to his surprise, she pecked Tim on the cheek.

Disgusted with what he had just saw, he decided to run after Kathy. The crowd had mostly focused their gazes on the tracks where the race was beginning to start, and he felt a lot more confident now that he was alone. He pressed her back up against the wall, and tilted her chin up so she could meet his gaze.

"I'm sorry," he leaned down to look at her.

She finally looked up at him, her tear filled eyes blinking slowly. "You're not sorry. You're sorry I found out."

He, was quiet as she walked off again, not so dramatically as before. For the first time, he had actually felt sorry. For her, for Anna, for everyone. And feeling sorry for someone wasn't a feeling he was used too. And he hated it.

XXXXX

"You kissed him, huh?" Tim looked down at her. His black eyes were emotionless, and so was his hard expression.

"It was confusing," she tried to explain. After watching the small fight between Two-Bit and Kathy, and watching Two-Bit run after Kathy, her feelings had took a wild ride. She was strapped in, tight on the emotional roller coaster, and now she couldn't figure out who she had feelings for. Tim? Two-Bit? Either of the two? _Bo__th_ of them?

But looking up into Tim's eyes, she knew the answer. She didn't love Tim, she didn't like Tim, and she didn't want Tim. She knew if she broke up with him for the second time in a matter of only a day, he would curse up a storm.

She knew by the way that Two-Bit had run after Kathy, that she was still crazy about him. She still thought about him, and she still wanted him just as much as she always had. But with wanting Two-Bit, she wanted something that she couldn't get. There was Kathy, and there was Tim. And so many other people who wouldn't be on her side.

"This is fuckin' stupid," Tim snapped, lighting a cigarette. "I ain't dealin' with this love triangle drama. Fuck, you broads are dumb."

She took that as 'we're over' in Tim's language. Though he hadn't exactly said _we're over,_ she figured she was now a free single women again. That made her some-what happy.

"Okay," she tried to sulk, but it came out in a grin. She was thanking the Lord that he had already turned around and stalked off to a few boys before he saw her smile. She got up from her seat, and went looking for Two-Bit. Surely he had to be around _somewhere_...

She lifted her head to the left, and quickened her pace. He was with Soda and Steve, who were sitting by their cars, anxiously waiting until it was their turn to race. Feeling pretty lousy, she walked over to them and put on a smile.

"Hey guys," she said confidently. Maybe beer didn't always help with confidence. Anna just felt comfortable because her best friend was there.

"Whaddya want?" Steve snapped, getting under the hood of his car. He muttered something to Soda, who walked over to look under too. Two-Bit just grinned at her, and jutted his head.

"What's up?" she asked, walking over to stand beside him.

He shrugged. "Not much."

She pressed her lips together, smoothing them against eachother. She let out a rushed sigh, and looked at Steve and Soda. They had their heads completely under the hood, concentrating on whatever was under it. "You're not into racin'?"

"Nah," he shook his head. "Not my thing."

She smiled. As they sat silently, in an uncomfortable silence, she felt his arm drift over her shoulders. It took everything inside of her to not squeal like a little girl. She looked up at him, and he grinned at her as he sat on the bench behind them. "Guess there's no use in tryin' to avoid everything, huh?"

She knew exactly what he was talking about and said. "I guess so. But...what about you 'n Kathy?"

He shrugged again. "She pretty much called us off. What about you 'n Timmy?"

She laughed. "He broke up with me. Said he was didn't wanna get involved in a _love triangle_." She made air quotes around the last two words.

She watched in admiration as Steve climbed into his car, and Soda climbed into his. The boys were howling and laughing, egging each other on with fake threats. She knew that those two lived for the drag strip, and she found it pretty interesting to watch them get all riled up before the race started. Steve started his car up; gripping the wheel in excitement. She noticed how much energy he had, and grinned again.

The announcer was about to say something, but Two-Bit had pulled Anna off of the bench and began walking. "Let's get somethin' to eat."

She nodded. "Alright."

They walked past the several concession stands, and directly to his car. She climbed in the passenger seat, watching as he circled around the car to get into his side. "Thanks." She said as he got in behind the wheel.

He looked over at her for a brief moment, as if trying to read something that wasn't there. "You too."

XXXXX

Arriving at Jay's, Two-Bit pulled his car into one of the stalls and ordered them both the same thing. Fries, a burger, and a Coke. "Wow," she said to herself.

He looked over at her again, and for the first time, he saw her as something other then a best friend. "_Wow_ what?"

She glanced at him, startled. He assumed that she probably didn't want him to hear that - judging by the way her cheeks started to turn red. "After everything..." she shook her head, and rolled down the window for some fresh air. "It's some pretty crazy stuff to deal with."

He hushed down as the waitress on roller blades skated over, there food in her hands. She held her palm out for the change, and then skated away again. He watched after her for a brief moment, before turning his attention back to Anna. "I guess it is, huh?"

_"And I'm sorry I caused all of this. I just..." she squeezed her eyes shut. Anna's face went pale, and Two-Bit knew it only went pale if she had something important to say. He braced himself, taking a long and peaceful drag of his cigarette. "I think I'm in love with you."_

The memory of yesterday suddenly came rushing to him, as he realised he was in the same car with his best friend...the girl who was in love with him. No matter how many times he thought about it, he never could decide if he knew what love was. He didn't know the 'signs', or how to determine if you were really in love. He knew he liked her - a lot - but he wasn't so sure about love. That was a damn big thing for girls, and he was sure he would screw it up if he gave it a chance.

"Two-Bit, I've been wantin' to ask you something for a long time. I just never really knew how to ask," she said slowly, popping a fry covered in ketchup into her mouth.

"What is it?" he took a sip of Coke, causing the ice inside to rattle inside. It made a loud sound, but it covered the silence that came after he spoke.

"I know you're still really sad about..." she paused. "Johnny and Dally."

He stopped drinking, and stared at her. He could feel his mood change right before his eyes, as he stared at her for a brief moment before leaning back on his seat and looking out the window. He knew ever since they died he was never really 'normal', if you could even call it that, but that was typical behavior. Two of his good friends died on the same night...

"I'm sorry," she said softly, her voice breaking into his thoughts. He looked down at his drink, slightly shaking it to experiment.

"It's okay," he said.

"No it's not," she shook her head, her ringlets going with the motion of her head.

"Really," he insisted. "It is."

Before she could say something else, he grabbed her face and kissed her passionately. He pulled back, aware he was teasing her about, and pulled out of the stall his Plymouth was parked in. He began driving on the road, listening to her soft voice babble about something that happened a few weeks ago. He pulled up in front of her house, and draped his arm around her seat.

"See ya, Mercer," he kissed her on the cheek and watched her blush as she climbed out of the car.

"Bye, Mathews," she smirked.

"You're my type of girl," he winked at her. He watched as she turned around and smirked at him again, giving him a grin to make him run for his money.

"Anything with a skirt is 'you're type of girl'," she said, and turned around. He watched as she put a swing in the weight of her hips, putting one foot in front of the other and marching up the front porch.

He laughed, and started the car forward again. Maybe life was finally starting to turn it's way around. It was only a matter of time.

XXXXX

"Where were you?" Caroline jumped up. Anna shut her house door behind her, and noticed how Dan wasn't in the room. She studied her mother's face, watching as she sniffed and tried to compose herself.

"I was at the drags," she said. "What's wrong? Where's Dan?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about,'' she sighed. Anna sat down next to her mother on the coach, drumming her fingers on the hem of her skirt. She tried to keep her cool for what her mom was about to tell her, but there was no way she could. With the way her mom's face was beat red, it was clear that she had been crying.

"What's wrong?" she repeated. In Anna's heard, one of two things could have happened: either Dan said something that had upset her, or he hit her. There could have been some more options as to why she was crying, but she didn't know what else there was.

"Dan left," she said, coughing to clear her throat.

Anna didn't know whether to jump for joy, or to go comfort her mother. Life was definitely getting better by the second. She would remember this day her entire life. "Why?" She found herself asking.

Caroline sniffed. "He was cheating on me. I came home early from work the other day, and found some girl sitting on the coach."

_Didn't take a genius to figure that out_, she thought. "Did you leave him? Or vice versa?"

"I left him. He begged for my forgiveness, but I left him." Caroline seemed to be proud of having the pride and courage to leave Dan, but Anna didn't quite understand why she had been crying. Dan was nothing to be crying about - Caroline should save her tears for someone who was actually worth it.

"Good for you," Anna nodded. She crossed her ankles, and folded her hands together. "Why are you cryin'?"

Caroline gave her an incredulous look. "I loved him, Anna."

"What was there to love?" she blurted, and immediately regretted it. She sighed, and leaned back into the seat. Caroline would most likely give her a full detailed description of how 'good of a person he was', or how 'sweet he could be'. Both seemed like phony bullshit to her.

"He was a really good guy. He just didn't know how to deal with two teenagers. You and Katie..." she sniffed. "Are growing up so quickly."

She drowned her mom out, not wanting to get into a deep conversation. She liked talking to her mom, but really, how corny was the growing up speech? She hated it with a passion. Surely her mother _must_ have had at least some sort of clue that Katie and her weren't going to stay little girls forever...

"No we ain't," Anna disagreed. "We're still pathetic little girls who still don't know the difference in right and wrong."

She was mostly talking about herself, not so much Katie. It felt as if her and Katie have been so out of touch lately that they have lost there sister bond. Anna knew she was just a stupid teenager who was bound to stay in Tulsa her entire life.

"I suppose so," Caroline sighed and gave in. She wasn't very hard to argue with.

Anna chewed on her nails, a habit she had recently developed. "Who was he cheatin' with?"

"I don't know," she sighed again. "If I knew, do you think I'd be here talking to you?"

Anna looked up at her mother, who had an eyebrow raised and was giving her a disbelieving look. Anna's worried face broke out into a grin. "Nope."

XXXXX

So it happened. He supposed maybe him and Anna were finally together, but maybe they weren't. He figured putting his arm around her, flirting a bit, and even kissing her was his way of telling her he liked her. Kathy and him had broken up - in such a way he didn't know if it was really considered as breaking up - so he was a free man...for now.

As he drove back to the drags to tell the boys, he couldn't take the stupid grin off of his face. Things had been turning around recently, and in a good way too. It felt good to know that maybe life wasn't as shitty was he took it for. The passing of his friends had certainly effected him, but maybe he was slowly starting to get over it. Johnny had been a good kid, despite the environment he had lived in for sixteen long years. As hard as it was to believe, Two-Bit liked to think that Dally died gallant, too. He remembered on several occasions when he had caught Johnny staring at Dally in admiration. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Johnny definitely worshiped the ground that Dallas walked on.

_"Why do you look up to Dally?" Two-Bit asked, giving Johnny a look of confusion as he watched Dallas tell a story._

_Johnny brought his attention from Dally to glance at Two-Bit. "He's gallant."_

He remembered a lot more then most people would ever give him credit for. But he didn't care. As long as the memories he had were kept tight in a box at the back of his head, he would let the people say whatever they wanted. He knew Ponyboy was well over the deaths of the two boys. He had been for a long time, even if it wasn't fully. Steve had cried as the boys had watched Dally crumple under the streetlight, calling for Ponyboy. Seeing somebody die certainly isn't peaceful, and it never will be.

It's not like in those movies, where the person still looks beautiful, even after they are dead. Dally didn't look beautiful when he died, he had looked tow-headed and pained. The same way he had looked his whole life. He could still remember all of the good times the gang had together when they were kids. He remembered how cool they thought they were for smoking on the streets, hoping to capture the attention of a hot older chick.

But now that they were gone, things had changed. His personality had certainly been one of the many things that had changed, and he surely wasn't proud of it either. The way he looked at things was different now, too. There were still plenty of fights around Tulsa, but not as much as there used to be. Slowly, very slowly, things were very much changing. Greasers will still be greasers, and socs will still be socs, that's probably the way things would always be.

Everybody had started to go middle-class, and get out of being in the middle of the war. Most people were no longer afraid of being jumped, and it was extremely rare that a rumble ever broke out. The cops were pretty good with everything, also. They didn't have to keep a close eye for hoodlums and rich kids beating each other up. For once, everybody could just relax. Everybody could finally let go of the past...even if it meant forgetting the good memories.

* * *

_Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. If you don't start with that, what are you going to end up with? Fall head over heels. I say find someone you can love like crazy and who'll love you back the same way. And how do you find them? Forget your head and listen to your heart. I'm not hearing any heart. Run the risk, if you get hurt, you'll come back. Because, the truth is, there is no sense in living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven't lived a life at all. You have to try. Because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived._

**A/N 2:** I have another slight case of writers block - hence the slow updates. Sorry! Review if you're readin'.


	11. Breakaway

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Outsiders_, nor do I claim any ownership in the song "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson.

**A/N:** Blah, I have the ages messed up. D: My apologies!

* * *

**Wednesday, April 11th, 1967**

"You gonna fix up that car in time?" Two-Bit asked, watching Steve attach new hubcaps to Anna's car. The car looked pretty tuff now that it was all clean and ready to go, except Steve had a nasty habit of 'changing his mind' on which hubcaps to use on it.

He finished screwing in the last one, then straightened up to look at it. "Yeah. Tomorrow, right?"

Two-Bit nodded. "Tomorrow. She's turnin' seventeen."

Steve wiped his oil-covered hands on the rag, then tossed it on the ground. "I know. She wouldn't stop braggin' about it since April 1st."

Two-Bit laughed, because that was so like her. "Hey," he thought for a moment. "You and Anna are pretty close in age, huh?"

Steve gave him a confused look. "No, man. I'm turnin' _eighteen_ three days after, smarty."

"Right," he nodded, ignoring the smirk Steve threw him. "A year and a few days then, I guess."

"Payin' attention in math pays off," Steve grinned.

Two-Bit winked. "Maybe I'll try today."

Steve laughed, waving his hand dismissively. Two-Bit hopped into his Plymouth, revving up the engine. He knew for a fact that Anna would be more then happy to have a car, especially for her birthday. He could easily teach her how to drive - how hard could it be? Keep your eyes on the road, the beer in the back, and learn how to turn the wheel. It really didn't seem all that complicated, in his opinion. Of course there were a few more things - like the gas pedal, the stop pedal and learning where the streets are. But that didn't take a lot to figure out.

He pulled up infront of her house, honking the horn twice. He figured the least he could do was be nice and pick her up for school. But he wasn't about to go to her door and meet her mom. He had met her mom plenty of times, there was no point in doing it again. He watched Anna and Katie come out of the house, smiling and talking. They must have been in a good mood - well, Katie at least. In his opinion, Anna seemed to be happy all the time.

She opened the passenger door, waved goodbye to Katie, and slipped in. "Hi," she smiled.

He started up the car, grinning at her. "Whaddya want for your birthday?"

She looked at him thoughtfully. "Nothin'."

"Come on," he grinned. "Ya must want _something_."

She shook her head, twirling one of her curls around her index finger. "Nothing, please. I really don't want anything."

Judging by her tone, she did want something. Of course she wouldn't ask him for it, though. Her excuse was probably something that had to do with spending to much. Truth be told, he wouldn't be spending anything. Life was so much easier when you just used five finger discount. Oh, he was definitely going to get her something. It wouldn't be big and fancy, like a soc could get her, but it would be nice enough. It was the thought that counts, right?

"Are you going to have a party?" he asked, turning the corner and into the school. He parked his car beside the sidewalk, and sat there for a brief few seconds, waiting for her answer. She _had_ to at _least_ have a party.

"Maybe," she shrugged and looked over at him from the corner of her eye. When she saw he was watching her, she quickly glanced away and opened the door.

He followed her lead, opening his own door to step out. While he slammed it shut, they walked side-by-side into Will Rogers. Ever since their small 'thing' yesterday, they hadn't really spoke as much as they used too. Or as much as Two-Bit would have preferred.

"See you in third," she blushed as he kissed her hand.

"Don't get any cuter while I'm gone," he winked at her.

He watched as she walked over to Evie, who looked over at him. It was clear that Anna had just been spilling the beans about what happened. The way she laughed, he knew that finally things were starting to become regular again.

XXXXX

Anna's heart was pounding in her chest, as she walked over to Evie. "Uh oh."

"What?" She asked innocently, crossing her arms over her chest. She knew that the expression on her face had given a small piece of information for Evie to unscramble. A small piece was all she needed to find out whatever had happened.

"You 'n Two-Bit?" Evie crossed her eyebrows into a V, giving Anna a look that meant she didn't want to be lied too.

"Yeah, I guess so," she answered simply. Even though it had happened, _they_ had happened, it was still hard to believe. Things were bound to go wrong, and drama would rise, but she tried to live in the moment, and not in the future.

Evie huffed. "I'll take that as a yes?"

Anna nodded, trying not to scream and jump like a fan girl. "Yeah. We are. I guess. Um, are you coming to my birthday tomorrow?"

Evie laughed in a sarcastic way. "_Please_ tell me you're not trying to change the subject?"

Anna smiled, not being able to help the innocent shrug she possessed. Walking into the school, everything seemed so much...brighter. So much happier, like she was seeing a side of the world that was never there before yesterday. They walked to their shared locker, gathered their books, and started for first period.

"Okay, I'll let it slide this time," Evie sighed. "Yes, 'course I'm comin' to your party. Where's it at? I'll tell everyone 'bout it."

Evie didn't need to tell her that. Even if Anna had asked Evie not to say anything, to keep it small, she would have anyways. She supposed it didn't really matter, it wasn't a big deal, but sometimes it irritated her that Evie's mouth was almost as big as Sylvia's.

"I dunno," she admitted. "I didn't really think of it until now."

Anna liked going to parties, but she wasn't real fond when the parties were about _her_. She could easily go to Buck's, or another birthday party, as long as the attention wasn't on her. Birthdays were the worst time for her. She sure was excited to turn seventeen, but she didn't want a party, cake and everybody telling her she's 'growing up'.

They took their seats in the classroom, and read the board. _Quiz_. Anna sighed, leaning back into her chair as Curly took the seat next to her. She was in the middle of Evie and Curly Shepard - and that wasn't a comfortable feeling. She wasn't sure if she was sighing because of the quiz, or because Curly had taken it upon himself to sit next to her. Either way, she knew first period would be boring like no other.

"What?" she asked, looking at him from the corner of her eye. The stupid smirk that had formed on his lips made her want to smack it off for him.

"Tim's plannin' on gettin' revenge," Curly winked.

"Mm," she murmured simply. Curly was mostly mouth, it was Tim she was afraid of. A lot of people were afraid of him, that she didn't know what else to say. So, instead of yelling a storm at him, she decided to just sit and wait for the quiz to come around.

Mr Greene came around the room, up and down rows, wishing the entire class good luck. As the three page "quiz" landed in front of Anna, she knew she was about to fail again. She did try in school, but not so much recently. Her and Ponyboy didn't have the same science class - so she couldn't ask him for help. Whenever her and Evie tried studying together, they just ended up goofing off, no matter how committed they agreed to be. And she wasn't even going to consider asking Curly - he would be lucky if he could read and write his own _name_.

She lifted the pencil off of the desk, wrote her name and the date, and then froze. It was all definitions on the first page, mixing and matching on the second page, then two diagrams to label and shade on the third. _This is going to be easy_, she grinned to herself, and began speeding through the quiz. Anna didn't have reasonably high grades, but they weren't so bad that she failed. Her worst class had to be math, because Two-Bit was in the class with her. She wasn't good at the rest of her classes either, she just didn't try hard enough. Which was another bad habit she had - not trying.

Quickly skimming through the finished quiz, it suddenly didn't seem so easy anymore. She knew by tomorrow she was bond to get a failing grade, or be passed with something under sixty percent. That wasn't the best birthday present. She quietly stood up, before realizing she was one of the last ones to be done. Evie was talking animatedly with her neighbour, Curly was bugging a soc girl in front of him, and the rest of the class was silently talking. She put the test under the nose or Mr Greene, who was already beginning to mark the other tests.

"Finished?" he asked her.

_What else?_, she thought sarcastically. "Yeah."

He took the sheet from her, and dismissed her from his desk. She glanced back, hoping to get a good emotional reaction out of him, but his face just looked plain as his eyes scanned the test. Suddenly he looked up at the clock, and stood up from his chair. Anna took her seat beside Evie, who was about to lean over and tell her gossip.

"Is the class finished?" he asked. A bunch of 'yeah's passed through the class, and almost everybody nodded. "Alright, you may talk, but any trouble and I will not hesitate to send you to detention on Friday."

The class just shrugged, then went back to talking. Anna leaned over to meet Evie's gaze. As wrong as it was, she loved gossip. She didn't like to miss school days - just in case someone asked someone out, or someone got jailed, and she hadn't been there to watch. She hated being excluded from those kind of things - even if they were nothing to get excited about. But her only source to those kind of events was Evie.

"Did you hear about Sylvia?" Evie said, looking around the class as they leaned forward.

Anna cocked an eyebrow and shook her head. "No. What happened?"

"She got in this huge cat fight the other day with that chick Alicia. The one Matt Harris used to date." The animated expression that was resting in Evie's eyes made Anna want to grin. As much as she liked to be up to date with the latest gossip, she would never eat it up as much as Evie did.

"Over what?" Anna asked, trying to ignore the stupid look Curly was giving her. That boy gave her the creeps.

Evie shrugged. "I dunno. You have Home-Ec with Sylvia, right?"

Anna nodded.

"Ask her then," Evie continued.

Anna scowled at Evie, annoyed with the fact that she wouldn't just tell her now. She had home economics at fifth period, which at the moment, seemed pretty far from right now. Evie just smiled innocently, and turned away again to get more juicy gossip. Anna leaned back in her seat, and waited for the bell to ring. Besides, she liked English better. She hadn't spoke to Ponyboy much, and to be honest, she sort of missed him.

As the clock ticked by, there were only a good two minutes left. Though she knew it would do no help, she stared at the clock, as if forcing it to go faster. But it only made time go slower. She drummed her nails on the desk, making a faint noise that was drowned out by the chattering of her classmates.

Finally, the bell rang. The class looked around with confused faces, getting up with dumbstruck expressions. Anna assumed she had been the only one staring down the clock. She said goodbye to Evie quickly, shot Curly a glare, and beat it out of the class.

"Anna," a voice said. She jumped and turned around, sighing in relief as Ponyboy stood there, grinning sheepishly.

"Jeez, scare me to death, why don't you?" she teased, shoving his shoulder lightly.

He just laughed, and they walked down the crowded hallways. Anna looked around confidently, trying to see if she could keep her chin up. Her eyes scanned the crowd, suddenly catching on two familiar faces. She made a disgusted face as she saw Steve and Evie necking in the hallway. She shook her head, and followed Ponyboy into the room.

She succesfully kept her head up the entire way, until she remembered the assigned seats Miss Hill had oh-so-kindly gave them. She grimaced lightly, but walked over to her seat beside Kathy. Kathy, who hadn't noticed her coming, looked up when Anna pulled out the chair. Kathy's eyes shot holes threw her.

"Oh. _You_," she wrinkled her nose.

Anna sighed. "Really, Kathy? Are we going to have to deal with this?"

"Um, yeah we are," she gave her an incredulous look. "What makes you think we ain't?"

"`Cause it's stupid," she answered without thinking. Watching the small spark in Kathy's eyes light up, she instantly regretted even opening her mouth. She pondered for an excuse for her actions, but the best she could come up with was 'sorry'. And she wasn't about to apologize for something she was hardly sorry for.

"No, it was stupid when you flirted with my boyfriend. It was stupider when you kissed him. And it just got out of fucking out of hand when you kissed him...for the _second_ time!" she shrieked. Thankfully, nobody on the class wanted to turn heads and watch the cat fight. There were a lot of socs in that class - who thank heaven, didn't give a rats ass about greasers. But some of the greasers looked over, hoping for a screeching fight to break out.

"Look, if all were gonna do is fight, we may as well ask to move seats."

Kathy gave her a funny sorta look, before turning away. Anna could have swore Kathy had tears in her eyes, but she hid it well with the fire that was blazing in them.

"I'm sorry," Anna muttered, rolling her eyes at the back of Kathy's head.

Kathy looked back at her, pursing her pink lips. "Ya mean it?"

_Not really._ "Yes."

Anna studied Kathy's face. She was, obviously, thinking long and hard about forgiving her. Though Anna had suggested that they start over, she had forgotten all about it until this point. She didn't know anything about Kathy, and she couldn't really see herself being friends with Kathy, but maybe they could work something out.

"Okay. But I have one thing to ask you," Kathy's voice was calmer, and the room started to settle down as Miss Hill walked in, her heels clicking after each step.

"What?" Anna asked, sounding a bit rude. Kathy didn't seem to have noticed, or minded, the rudeness inflicted in her voice, as she kept her face calm and composed.

"Why'd you do it?"

Anna assumed she should have seen that question coming. She thought about it a lot, but she never ended up coming up with a good explanation. She never really thought about things until after they were done - which was another nasty habit that she had to get rid of soon. As she looked down at her blank wooden desk, she tried to think of something, anything.

"I don't know. Maybe we can put it behind us...?" she slowly raised an eyebrow, nervous for whatever Kathy was about to say.

"I guess so. Boys are stupid anyways." She smiled, giving her a friendly wink.

Anna laughed out loud, causing Miss Hill to give her a stern look. She smiled innocently, looked at Kathy, and started giggling all over again. She felt thirteen years old.

XXXXX

By the time lunch came, Two-Bit was exhausted, yet happy at the same time. "Thanks for gettin' me detention on Friday," Anna smirked.

He laughed. Third period math was always his favorite class - even though he was failing it horribly. It was fun getting detentions from that class. Whether it was because Ms Gregory was so strict, or because him and Anna always had a blast. Either way, he liked that class best of all of them.

"Anytime. Y'know, we don't have to go. It ain't mandatory."

Most of the time it was mandatory to attend detention - making up for it on the weekend was never fun - but hell, he wasn't about to waste his Friday sitting in a classroom. Especially when he could be out swiping every inanimate object that crossed his eyesight.

"But we should go," she insisted as they walked out of the school, heading in the direction of his car.

"Okay," he sighed, then grinned. "You can go."

She stopped, her hand frozen on the door handle. "What's the catch?"

He laughed. "Nothin'. It's a Friday, Anna, are you really gonna spend it at detention? Of all places?"

She unfroze, opening the door with a beat red face. "Yes."

Starting up the car, he vroomed it forward, sending the two flying back into their seats. Anna gave him a startled look, but he was having the time of his life. He jerked the car around the corner, the wheels nearly flying off the ground, and griped the wheel tightly. Pulling into Jay's, he laughed at the bewildered expression on her face.

"Holy shit," she blinked. "What the hell was that?"

"C'mon, you've gotta learn to let lose a little sometimes."

"You coulda crashed it!" Her voice was abnormally high, startled even. He took her hand, unable to force the grin off of his face. He tried his best to calm her down, but she was to tensed up. It was just a little car ride fun - he didn't expect her to look as if she had just seen a ghost.

"Anna," he sighed, still grinning. "Don't worry about it."

Come to think of it, Anna had always been a little freaked out over small stuff like that. He knew she had a bit of a wild streak - hell, he had seen most of it - but he had never took her for the type of girl to nearly have a heart attack over a small car ride. She was starting to calm down by the looks of it, as her shoulders were settling and her breathing was even. Her face lost the paleness, and was replaced by a silly grin.

"You're crazy," she finally said. Two-Bit didn't dare ask what was with the sudden mood change - she had been that way almost her entire life, and he didn't expect that she would change. Though he could see the mood she was in by looking in her eyes, he still didn't really expect it. She was like her sister in the way.

"Flattery will get ya nowhere, sweetheart," he gave her a Chessy grin.

A blonde waitress came up on roller skates to take their orders, giving Two-Bit a seductive smile in the process. Anna didn't seem to notice, so he winked at her. What she didn't know couldn't hurt her, despite how he felt for her. She didn't have to know anything.

"You're such a pig." Anna looked at him as he watched the girl skate away. She was blonde, cute, and was employed. How could he _not_ look at her? Besides, it's not like him and Anna were going steady officially...they were just testing the waters.

He smiled at her, about to make a witty remark, before she rolled her eyes and looked out the window. _Guess I should've seen that comin'_, he thought to himself. He leaned across to her, catching her face with the tip of his finger. He pulled her face close to his, and looked as deep as he could get into her eyes. They looked bright and happy, but upclose, they looked dull and confused.

He was about to kiss her, before the blonde girl tapped on the window. He looked over his shoulder, and grinned at the confused expression etched on her face. He leaned back over, gave her the money and shot her another wink before turning to Anna.

"Really?" Her eyes widened, as she gave him a disbelieving look.

He was taken back. "What?"

"You're really lookin' at that blonde girl, while I'm sitting right here?"

So she had been watching. If he knew what it was like to be truly embarrassed; now would have been his first experience. He watched as she studied his face, just as hard as he was studying hers. He looked away, thinking it was quite awkward to stare and not talk, and rotated his eyes down at his milkshake. He held it up in front of her face, signaling for her to clink hers against his. She looked at the milkshake, then back at him again. "What about it?"

He took her wrist, and brought it toward her own cup. She had a change of expression, laughed, then clinked them together. "Don't you usually do this with beer?" she asked after taking a sip. He gulped a few more sips down before answering.

"Yeah," he took another sip. "Then we can start a new tradition."

She smiled, showing him that she was anything but depressed or irritated. He set his milkshake down again, leaning toward her. Her eyes were staring at him intensely, as she tried to figure out what was happening. He laughed, pushing her lightly down on the seat. She arched her back up, getting the memo, and cupped her palms on his neck and brought his lips down to hers.

XXXXX

Anna felt like she had the world at her feet. Nothing could get her down from the mood she had been put it, and kissing Two-Bit had just made it all the better. She pulled apart fairly quickly, despite her good mood. If she was going to get any farther then kissing him, she at least wanted it to be more special. When kissing him, she thought of Tim. Curly's words were spinning in her head, and she was nervous about what he was really talking about. Surely Tim wouldn't hurt a girl, or get any of his members to hurt a girl, but you can never be sure about him.

Tulsa wasn't a very dangerous place, it was slowly starting to change, but it wasn't one hundred percent safe yet. Hell, she wasn't even sure if it was ten percent safe. All she knew was that things were slowly starting to progress, and people weren't so petrified of getting jumped anymore. While driving back to school, Anna looked out the window and did her best to let the conversation die between the two. She had been thinking about when Randy and Paul had given her a 'warning' only a few days ago. She wasn't sure of what they had been talking about, and she had forgotten all about it until this very moment.

While passing the houses and cars, there were kids and teenagers everywhere. As they drove along the Ribbon, a few adults that were probably in their mid twenties, were acting up the same way. Anna liked to think that one day she would get somewhere - anywhere _but_ Tulsa. Maybe she could go find her real dad, and see if he really did love her like she wanted to think. One of her biggest dreams to accomplish was going to college. She would give an arm and a leg to go to college, get her high school diploma, and graduate to become super successful. She then remembered that she was only in grade ten, and had a long ways to go.

If she got a scholarship, then her whole world would be complete. Or maybe even a letter of recommendation would be nice too. But with the grades she was getting now, it was a low chance of either of those two ever happening. The only greaser she knew who was aiming to get out to, was Ponyboy. The rest of the greasers in Tulsa didn't give a flying tuck about their future. Pony's grades were a thousand times better then hers - and yet he still had a bunch of friends. She had few close friends, and didn't study at all. She made a promise to herself to try her hardest in school tomorrow so she could get good grades. Because good grades, means a letter or recommendation, or even a scholarship.

She looked over at Two-Bit, who was telling her a story with his hands, exaggerating the point. Have you ever looked at someone, and saw you're whole future, right there, right then? That's exactly what Anna was thinking. As she looked at Two-Bit, she selfishly thought he wouldn't get out of Tulsa. He'd be lucky if he graduated his junior year. He didn't try, though, so maybe that was why. If he tried, maybe even _he_ could get somewhere in life. At eighteen years old, you don't have much of an option anymore, and getting held back wouldn't look good on a resume, but he could still try. She seriously hoped that she wouldn't get sucked deeper into the pit of love that she as stuck in. Falling in love, and having to leave for you're dreams at the same time was not an easy thing to experience. And she hoped to hell she would never have to be put in that position.

"What's your next class?" he questioned. She looked around, and didn't even notice they were in the school parking lot yet again.

"Home economics," she answered. She then remembered what Evie had told her in first period, and found herself not really that interested anymore. She sure was interested in a lot of stuff, but not other girls' drama. At least she knew what was happening - but if she asked Sylvia, then she would get into the drama, and that just wouldn't be good.

He opened the door for her, placing his hand on the small of her back as he lead her back into the school. She took a deep breath while opening the doors, and looked at the clock. "Shit! I'm late!" She kissed him quickly on the cheek, and rushed off to her class, ignoring his call for her. The first day of the rest of her life was about to begin.

* * *

_Sometimes in life there really are bonds formed that can never be broken. Sometimes you really can find that one person who will stand by you no matter what. Maybe you'll find it in a spouse and celebrate it with your dream wedding, but there's also the chance that the one person you can count on for a lifetime, the one person who knows you sometimes better than you know yourself, is the same person who's been standing beside you all along._

**A/N 2:** HAPPY NEW YEARS! Review please! (:


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